Homemade Tomato Soup

I have not had homemade tomato soup in years.  I used to love my grandmother's but it is a recipe I have never gotten from her and just something I've never made, well, until yesterday.

I have a spaghetti sauce recipe I love. I could literally drink it.  I decided to use it as my base for my soup. It worked perfectly.  The end result was yummy.  I just had the last of the leftovers for lunch.  I'm sad it is gone.  I'll definitely have to make it again.

Homemade Tomato Soup
1 28 oz. can of San Marzano tomatoes
1 28 oz. can of whole tomatoes*
1 14 oz. can of tomato sauce
4-6 large cloves of garlic peeled and smashed with the side of a knife
1-2 medium onions quartered
1 stick of butter - the real stuff not the fake stuff
1 32 oz. container of chicken broth

1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup fat free half and half
Salt and pepper to taste


Add the first seven ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered for at least and hour.  Use an immersion blender to puree.  Stir in baking soda.  Once it stops foaming add the half and half.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Cook until heated through and serve.

Last night I served the soup with garlic and cheese flavored croutons and parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.  It was delicious!

In case you are wondering the baking soda is added to reduce the acidity in the tomatoes to keep the half and half from curdling when it is added.  Thanks mom for the tip.

*This would be better with all San Marzano tomatoes but since they cost 4 times as much as plain old whole tomatoes I used only one can of San Marzano and finished with regular whole tomatoes.

You can definitely play around with the amount of butter or use a mixture of olive oil and butter.  I used fat free half and half because that is what I had at home.  If I had regular half and half I would use it but definitely cut the amount of butter down then.  And if you don't like a creamy tomato soup this would be great if you just left it out and added another cup of broth. 

I served the soup with grilled cheese sandwiches.  Last nights were homemade brioche with sharp cheddar.  If you are doing a lot of sandwiches I find that buttering the bread, assembling them on a cookie sheet, and baking them in the oven is quicker and takes less of my attention than doing them in a frying pan.  I usually bake them at 350 for about 15 minutes(or until golden brown), turning them once.