Barbara Lynch's Spicy Tomato Soup
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Author Notes: This is a spicy tomato soup that you can make on a whim and eat nearly as soon. (It's also, at its core, 5 vegan ingredients you probably already have.) Recipe adapted very slightly from Stir: Mixing It Up in the Italian Tradition (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009). - Genius Recipes
Serves 6
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, peeled, halved, and sliced into 1/4-inch-thick slices
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste -- we started with 1/2 teaspoon)
- 2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Crème fraîche, for garnish (optional)
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onions and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent and very tender, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the tomatoes and their juices, plus the water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the flavors have melded, about 30 minutes. (If you're in a hurry, you can skip the simmer time -- just add a bit less water.) Add the basil, season with salt and pepper, remove from the heat, and let cool briefly, about 5 minutes.
- Set a fine-mesh strainer over a large, heatproof bowl. Using a blender, purée the soup in batches until smooth, removing the small cap from the blender lid (the pour lid) and covering the space with a kitchen towel (this allows steam from the hot soup to escape and prevents the blender lid from popping off).
- Pour the blended soup through the strainer, pressing on the solids with a rubber spatula or ladle; discard the solids. Taste the soup and season with additional salt and pepper as needed.
- Return the soup to the saucepan and reheat on medium low until hot. If you choose, serve topped with a tablespoon of crème fraîche.
- This recipe is a Community Pick!
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3 months ago Tailgators
Yum. Kept it simple, blended in the Vitamix and didn't need to strain. Swirled some leftover gorgonzola cream sauce into each serving. Perfect.
4 months ago Shauna Axton
This turned out great. Used the immersion blender as some others, and strained just a portion of it which made for a great consistency! Added oregano, chili pepper and a bit of garlic as some others. Definitely a win.
4 months ago MarianBull
Marian is an editor at Food52.
Made it in my Vitamix, and didn't strain -- just blended on high for 10-15 seconds, and I loved the consistency. I even resisted the urge to add garlic. It's seriously perfect.
4 months ago weshook
I didn't make this exact recipe, but I used it as inspiration to make my own tomato soup with oven roasted tomatoes. Yummy! Thanks.
4 months ago Jill Murray
Made this tonight. Skipped the straining step after I saw how thin it would be. Just pureed the whole batch and loved it! Maybe next time I will add something else like garlic, but was delicious without any modifications. Also might cut back on the red pepper flakes. 1/2 tsp was quite spicy for me.
4 months ago easknh
Made this last night for dinner in my house. Not a hit - comments came back that it smelled and tasted like a tomato sauce, not a good soup. I think I will be looking for a different recipe for next time.
4 months ago sheryldavid
I made this last night and it is fantastic. I added three cloves of smashed garlic with the onion and red pepper flakes. The straining took me awhile but it was totally worth it. Really great recipe. I am going to serve this tonight with avocado grilled cheese sandwiches.
4 months ago iheartblueberries
Re: straining, I thought a food mill might be more efficient. Everythig was moving full tilt toward dinner until the straining step. I too thought it was a bit of extra effort. BUT! I scraped the outside of the strainer into the soup, and IMO ended in a smooth, elegant, soup with decent body. Homemade croutons added some heft.
4 months ago Sigita
I have a ricer - that would also be a bit easier than the straining - thanks for your thoughts. I must say- I did enjoy the purity of it.....
4 months ago Emsbutler
I didn't bother to strain mine. I used the immersion blender and just got rid of the chunks. It was still a bit textured. Not necessary to strain, in my opinion! My soup wasn't thin. Perhaps just add less water?
4 months ago Sigita
Thanks for the feedback- perhaps a bit less water but certainly keeping the "solids" would thicken it up a but.... thought of using an old trick from mexican cooking- and softening a stone ground corn tortilla into the soup.....would work with the spicy seasoning too.
4 months ago Sigita
Am making this now- seems alot of effort with the straining and the remaining soup is rather thin..... flavorful but thin.
4 months ago sstalnaker
I can imagine this served with a beautifully poached egg in each bowl, and of course toasted home made sourdough. Making this tonight.
4 months ago Emsbutler
I made this using the note about 1/2 the pepper flakes. For us, that was spicy enough. I didn't have basil, but it was delicious without. I topped it with a dollop of Greek yogurt!
Very good! I'll make this again.
5 months ago MBogdanovich
I went with the dried guajillo chiles because that is what I had. Seared and soaked them then put them in #2 process, we can all make it our own tills the cows come home. Very good recipe, will make it again. I am sure differently, (because that is what is in my house).
5 months ago ConnieHuberSchmidt
How should (or could) I adapt this to use with my Vitamix?
5 months ago Kristen Miglore
Kristen is the Senior Editor of Food52
No major adaptation needed -- I would blend, then taste to see if you like the consistency as is. Then strain if you like (you may want to use a very fine strainer, or even cheesecloth-lined strainer if you want it very smooth).
5 months ago Tucker & Me
Some fresh ricotta worked very well, and I also used the immersion blender. Very yum!
5 months ago iheartblueberries
I am letting this bubble on my stovetop right now.
Never one to leave well-enough alone (even genius), I added garlic and seasoned sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, and used that oil to saute the onions. Can't wait to eat this tomorrow-perfect for the frigid temps here in NY!
5 months ago I Am The Eggman
Hi all! This recipe begs for the addition of oregano and chipotle pepper. Both adds will perk the taste up substantially. Also, add some fresh basil when you top with the creme fraiche at serving step.Happy cooking and thanks for sharing!