Okay, so I wanted to make a nice little meal for my family. I figured, why not start with a soup appetizer? Something light and tasty to get everyone’s appetite going. I went online and found some interesting ideas – stuff like creamy potato leek and roasted tomato soup. Sounded fancy, but honestly, I was just looking for something easy and not too complicated.
I decided to go with a simple tomato soup. Tomatoes are always a hit in my house. First, I grabbed a bunch of ripe tomatoes from the fridge, gave them a good wash, and chopped them up. I also diced an onion and a couple of cloves of garlic because, well, what’s a soup without onions and garlic, right?
Getting Started
I heated up some olive oil in a big pot nothing too fancy, just the regular stuff. Tossed in the onions and garlic, and let them sizzle until they were nice and fragrant. You know, that smell that just makes your kitchen feel like home. Then, I threw in the chopped tomatoes and stirred everything together.
Next, I added some vegetable broth. I used the store-bought kind because, let’s be real, who has time to make broth from scratch? Poured in enough to cover all the tomatoes and then seasoned it with salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes. I also added a few sprigs of fresh basil from my little herb garden – it really does make a difference.
Simmer Down
I brought the whole thing to a boil, then turned down the heat and let it simmer. This is the part where you just let the soup do its thing. I left it there for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, just to make sure nothing stuck to the bottom of the pot. You want all those flavors to really get to know each other.
Once the tomatoes were all soft and mushy, I took the pot off the heat. Now, this is where it gets a bit messy. I used my immersion blender to blend the soup until it was smooth and creamy. If you don’t have one of those, you can use a regular blender, but be careful because hot soup can be a bit of a pain to transfer. Just do it in batches, and don’t fill the blender too much.
Finishing Touches
After blending, I put the soup back on the stove, just to heat it through. I tasted it and added a bit more salt and pepper – always taste and adjust, that’s my motto. To make it a little richer, I stirred in a splash of cream. You could totally skip this if you want to keep it lighter, but I like that extra bit of indulgence.
- Make sure to wash your veggies.
- Don’t forget to season throughout.
- Blend carefully to avoid a mess.
Finally, I ladled the soup into bowls, garnished each one with a fresh basil leaf, and a drizzle of olive oil. It looked pretty good if I do say so myself. And the taste? Let’s just say there were no leftovers. My family loved it, and it really set the mood for the rest of the meal. Definitely making this again.
