Tomato soup is one of those dishes that you can either make with very few ingredients or lots of ingredients and it tastes just as good either way. For a flavor profile I once hated, I find myself making tomato soup quite a lot. It’s just so comforting to have a pot of soup simmering on the stove once the weather starts to get chilly and – much like many of you – I almost always have at least the basic ingredients for tomato soup on hand.

Now, don’t be alarmed by the amount of ingredients in this recipe – I wanted to see just how much different flavors impacted a simple dish. I’ve marked the ingredients I think are optional in the recipe card below! This is also a great recipe for improvisation so don’t take it too seriously – add things you think you’ll enjoy. Let me know in the comments what you end up adding into your soup.

P.S. any tomato soup – no matter the ingredients, tastes best with a grilled cheese 😉 For the ultimate crispy bread, spread a light coating of mayo on the outside of the bread. Trust me, it’s a game changer.

Pantry Tomato Soup

You can pretty much put everything in your pantry in this soup – tomatos are incredibly forgiving and so many flavors compliment their tart yet sweet profile. You don’t need to use all the ingredients I did and I even recommend switching it up!
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Course lunch, Main Course, Side Dish
Servings 8

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Large shallot, finely chopped
  • 6 smoked mussels optional
  • 4 Ounces chopped pancetta
  • 1 Sprig rosemary optional
  • 1.5 – 2.5 Cups Chardonnay
  • 1 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
  • 1 24 ounce jar of tomato purée
  • 60 Cloves fresh garlic optional – you can use less
  • 1 Handful fresh basil, torn
  • salt to taste
  • pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Chop shallot and mussels and sautée with olive oil in heavy bottomed pot
  • Once shallots have turned translucent, add in the pancetta and continue to cook
  • Before the pancetta gets too crispy, deglaze the pan with ~1 cup of the Chardonnay
  • Add in crushed tomatoes and tomato purée and stir to combine, put on low heat and bring to a simmer
  • Remove skins from garlic but keep the cloves whole. I like to do this by putting the cloves in a bowl, topping that bowl with another bowl and shaking really hard until the skins fall off.
  • Check in on the tomato soup – if the mixture seems thick, add in more wine to thin it out. You may have to repeat this as the soup cooks.
  • Place all the garlic cloves in the pot along with the basil and rosemary, stir to combine and cover with a lid. You’ll cook this on low for around 2 hours.
  • Throughout those two hours, I do recommend checking on the soup and thinning out when needed.
  • Once the garlic is soft enough to whisk into the soup, use an immersion blender to get the mixture smooth.
  • Serve with you favorite grilled cheese and enjoy!
Keyword easy meal, easy recipe