Tomato Basil Soup

The weather has been completely insane in our area lately. First, a snow "storm" hit that completely crippled Atlanta and Birmingham for two days. A few days later I was outside in a t-shirt and flip flops. Two days after that I was bundled up in my house in a sweatshirt and the fire roaring.

For days like the latter, I love a big bowl of soup. This recipe is one of my favorite types of soup. I used to buy the canned stuff, but this recipe kicks those cans' butts and is fairly easy to make.

Tomato Basil Soup
4 fresh tomatoes
4 cups tomato juice
3 teaspoons basil leaves
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1 cup whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon cracked pepper
Salt to taste

 

First, bring a pot of water to a boil. While the water is heating, core four tomatoes. Once the water is bubblin', place tomatoes in pot for about 10 minutes. You should start to see the skins of the tomatoes begin to fall off. Drain and remove the remaining skins.

 

Using a utensil of your choice (I use this from Pampered Chef), mash tomatoes to a consistency of your choosing. You can also dice them but it is pretty messy!

 

 

Combine tomatoes with other ingredients in a pot and bring to a low boil, stirring thoroughly. This recipe makes quite a bit of soup so save room in your refrigerator for leftovers. The great thing is that a day or two later the soup is even better as all the ingredients have continued to fuse together. Yum!

Grilled cheese, tomato basil soup and broccoli