When my daughter asked for a tomato soup to go with her grilled cheese, I wasn’t sure I could pull it off since I didn’t have onions, and this is a soup I’ve only ordered out, but I substituted shallots and used some of my jarred fresh tomatoes, and it was simple and delicious.
This recipe makes a large batch, so you can certainly halve it or freeze some for later.
1/2 stick of butter
2 large shallots or one medium onion, chopped.
I cup of vegetable broth
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Two 16-ounce cans of whole tomatoes or two pounds of peeled and seeded plum tomatoes.
¼ cup sugar or 2 TBSP of honey
1 tsp salt
Pepper to taste
1/2 cup half-and-half
2 basil leaves, gently chopped
In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook until golden. Whisk in flour and stir until mixture is slightly thickened and light gold, about two minutes; do not allow to brown.
Stir in the tomatoes and their juices, broth, sugar, salt, and pepper. Raise heat to medium until the liquid bubbles, then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10 minutes, then stir in the half-and-half. Remove from heat and purée using a hand blender, or I had placed it into a Magic Bullet. Pour into bowls and serve. Top with basil.