We were stuck at home for several days last week, due to the near foot of snow that we wound up receiving from the latest winter storm on the east coast. For us, it was great to have some snow. Little B had never seen a snow like that before, and he had a blast playing in it. Snowy days always make me feel sort of cozy, and make me want soup.

Homemade Tomato Soup

I'm a big soup fan, and definitely prefer creamy soups to broth soups. The last time I had a pre-made soup from a can, not only did I feel that it was lacking taste, it gave me a bad tummy ache. I had been wanting to try to make a homemade tomato soup for quite a while, and finally got the soup making bug when we were snowed in last week.

I didn't have a recipe for my soup, so I just used my brain and eyeballed my ingredients. 

Here's what I used...

1 large can of peeled plum tomatoes, in juice

1 Cup 2% milk

2 tsp. dried oregano

2 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp fresh minced garlic

1/2 tsp dried minced onion

1/2 tbsp sugar

salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp butter

Start with tomatoes...

I poured 28 oz. of peeled plum tomatoes and their juice into my belnder. I have a soup setting on my blender, so I just turned that on and blended the tomatoes until they were pureed. 

Next, I added 1 cup of milk to the tomatoes. Ideally, I would have used whole milk or cream, but I didn't have any on hand. I blended the tomatoes and the milk for about 15 seconds.

I then added all of the herbs, spices and the sugar. I blended everything together for about 30 seconds to make sure the garlic really incorporated into the mixture.

Add it to a sauce pan...

Next, I added the soup mixture to a sauce pan and warmed it through slowly. I brought it to a medium low heat until it was steaming, but not boiling.

Add more milk, and butter...

I did a little taste test and decided to add 1/4 cup more milk, to make it a little thinner. If you like it even thinner than this, add more milk. If you want it creamy, again, use heavy cream. I also added 2 tbsp. of butter to the soup and let it slowly melt in. I turned the soup down to a simmer, and then went to work to make the grilled cheese croutons.

To make the grilled cheese croutons, you will need:

Softened butter

2 slices of white bread

Sliced cheese of your liking

Additional fillers like ham, basil, etc...

Make your grilled cheese sandwich any way you like it! 

I used cheddar cheese, because that's my favorite to have with tomato soup.

Make your grilled cheese sandwich while your soup simmers...

When it comes to making the perfect grilled cheese sandwich, low and slow is best!

Cube your grilled cheese sandwich after it cools a bit, and there you have it- croutons!

I served my soup up in a shallow soup bowl. I knew the soup would be filling, since I made it thick and creamy, like a bisque, so I didn't want to take more than I knew I would eat for lunch. I used a ladle to get the soup into my bowl, and then added about six of the grilled cheese croutons to the middle of the bowl.

Yummy!

Not only was the soup pretty to look at, it tasted wonderful! One bite gave the impression that this soup was made from scratch. The herbs gave the soup life- the milk and butter gave it extra body, and the sugar, just a hint of sweetness. The soup was silky and creamy, just the way I like it, and trust me- much better tasting than anything you'll ever purchase pre-made, in a can for your convenience.

I made this soup in less than 30 minutes. If that's not quick and easy, I don't know what is! Leftover soup can easily be stored in the refrigerator for up to several days, or you can do the really smart thing and make a large batch of this soup and freeze it! The soup is a gourmet meal in itself! If you ever want to entertain and serve a restaurant quality meal, which will feed and impress a lot of people, make and serve this soup! Make several different types of grilled cheese sandwiches, and let your guests add their favorite croutons to the soup! Trust me, they will be raving about it, and this will become one of your go-to recipes!

Lovely presentation!

I hope you'll give my soup recipe a try, and if you do- I'd love to hear how it turned out, or what you did differently to make it your own! Why not try this one out this week?

Happy cooking & have a great Tuesday!