Cream of Tomato Soup

It is that time of year that I crave soup for dinner. Here’s a classic we all grew up with, tomato soup with grilled cheese. I love the creamy version of the classic tomato soup.

Cream of Tomato Soup

Servings: 6 cups
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Ingredients

2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
pinch of ground cloves
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 (15 ounce) cans diced tomatoes in juice or puree
pinch of baking soda
2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken stock
1 1/2 cups milk
salt
freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat.
Add the onion, celery, dried basil, and ground cloves.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the flour, then add the tomatoes and their juice, baking soda, and chicken stock.
Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, partially covered for 20 minutes.
Let cool briefly, then puree in a blender until smooth.
Return the soup to the pot, add the milk, and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
If the soup is too thick, thin it with additional stock.
Serve with grilled cheese sandwiches.

Notes

We can our own tomatoes each summer so we use one quart jar of tomatoes in place of the two 15-ounce cans from the store. Homemade canned tomatoes are far better than store-bought tomatoes. Here’s how to can tomatoes: https://handmadephd.com/2016/08/25/tomatoes-canning-whole/