Ingredients

Scale

3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 carrots, unpeeled and chopped
1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
4 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes, coarsely chopped (about 5 large)
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar (or more to taste)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup packed chopped fresh basil leaves, plus julienned basil leaves, for garnish
3 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 to 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup heavy cream (or a few splashes more)

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Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and carrots and saute for about 10 minutes, until very tender.
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Add the tomatoes, sugar, tomato paste, basil, chicken stock, salt, and pepper and stir well. Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes, until the tomatoes are very tender.
Add the cream to the soup and stir well. Process through a food mill (Ina’s suggestion) or purée with an immersion blender or pour small amount into your blender and blend until smooth. Return to pot reheat the soup over low heat just until hot and serve with julienned basil leaves and/or croutons.

Notes

The original recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of chopped red onion. I have cut this back to only 1/2 cup and I usually use just a white or yellow onion (mainly because that’s what I’ve always had when I go to make this soup). Adjust the amount of onion according to your tastes. Also, the recipe calls for 2 teaspoons of pepper which I always do, but if you’re afraid it will be too much, start with 1 teaspoon and adjust accordingly.

I always end up adding a few extra teaspoons of sugar to help with the acidity of the tomatoes. I also usually throw in a few extra splashes of cream.

I put this in my Blendtec to mix it up and it works perfectly.

Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 40 mins
Category: Soup
Cuisine: American