Cheesy Tomato Soup Recipe

This cheesy tomato soup starts with a can of whole peeled tomatoes simmered with onion, garlic and stock, which is then pureed in a blender until silky and finished with a little cream or milk and a generous amount of sharp cheddar. It is ready in about an hour, much of it hands-off simmering and cooling, and makes roughly 6 cups, enough for 4 bowls.

Two details matter. First, hot liquid expands in a blender and can blow the lid off, so the soup is cooled briefly, blended in half-full batches and vented through the lid. Second, the cheddar goes in off the boil: cheese added to boiling soup turns stringy and grainy, while cheese stirred into hot but not bubbling soup melts smoothly.

Canned whole tomatoes have better flavor and texture than most out-of-season fresh ones; for a fresh-tomato blender recipe, see the blender spaghetti sauce. Use homemade chicken stock or vegetable stock, and serve with toast or grilled cheese made from basic sponge white bread.

Cheesy Tomato Soup

A smooth blender tomato soup made from canned whole tomatoes, onion, garlic and stock, enriched with cream or milk and sharp cheddar melted in off the boil.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium yellow onion chopped
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• One 28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes with their juice
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon sugar optional, to soften the acidity
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup heavy cream or whole milk
• 6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese shredded (about 1 1/2 cups), plus a little extra for serving if you like

Method

 

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
2. Add the tomatoes with their juice, crushing them against the side of the pot with a spoon. Stir in the stock, basil, sugar if using, salt and pepper.
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, partially cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Take the pot off the heat and let the soup cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Ladle it into the blender, filling the jar no more than half full. Remove the center cap from the lid, cover the opening with a folded kitchen towel and hold the lid down. Start on the lowest speed, then increase and blend until completely smooth, about 1 minute. Blend in two or three batches, pouring each into a bowl.
5. Return the pureed soup to the pot and reheat over medium-low heat until steaming hot but not boiling.
6. Put the cream or milk in a small bowl and stir in a ladleful of the hot soup to warm it, then stir the mixture into the pot. Warming the dairy first helps keep it from curdling.
7. Turn off the heat. Add the cheddar a handful at a time, stirring until each addition has melted before adding the next. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.
8. Ladle into bowls and top with a pinch of extra cheddar if you like. Do not let the soup boil once the dairy and cheese are in.

Notes

Blender safety: steam builds pressure fast in a sealed blender jar. Never fill it more than half full with hot soup and never blend hot liquid with the lid sealed tight. Alternatively, let the soup cool to lukewarm before blending, or puree it right in the pot with an immersion blender.

Heavy cream is the most forgiving choice, since the acidity of tomatoes can curdle milk. If using milk, choose whole milk, warm it with hot soup as directed and keep the pot below a simmer.

Shred the cheddar from a block. Bagged shredded cheese is coated with starch and does not melt as smoothly.

Storage: cool the soup and refrigerate it within 2 hours; it keeps for 3 to 4 days. Reheat gently over low heat, stirring, until steaming, without letting it boil. To freeze, stop after blending, freeze the tomato base for up to 3 months, and add the cream and cheese after reheating.