Creamy Tomato Soup with White Beans & Sourdough Croutons

Ok – we all know the state of the world right now and as a result, canned items are literally FLYING off the shelves. Although I’ve been craving making a homemade tomato soup for a while now, I thought how timely would it be to do it now considering all of us have now stocked up on canned tomatoes and beans to last us a very long time.

Ironically, the tomatoes I would have liked to use (no salt added) were completely sold out by the time I got to the store so we’re using the salt added variety (therefore, I added very little salt but if you use the NSA canned tomatoes – add more salt to your taste). I’ve also included a number of “optional” finishing touches here – from the beans to the cheese – make this one your own! I’ll provide the base but feel free to put your own spin on it based what you have at home!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, divided
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 2 (28-oz.) cans whole tomatoes
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 4 cups water
• 1/2 cup cream* (I used 10% because it’s what I had – opt for heavy cream if you want it even creamier)
• Salt and Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Optional Additions:

• 1 (541 ml) can white beans* (I used cannellini but any white bean would be great)
• 1/4 cup grated pecorino cheese* (again, a parmesan or asiago would be a great substitution if that’s what you have)
• 5 slices sourdough bread, cubed
• 2 sprigs rosemary

Preparation:

1. Melt half your butter (1/4 cup) in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add carrot, onion, and garlic. Cook until onion is completely soft and translucent and carrots have softened, about 10–12 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and add tomato paste. Continue cooking, stirring often, until the paste begins to caramelize with the carrot mixture – about 5 minutes.
2. Add in tomatoes (with liquid), sugar, crushed red pepper, oregano, and 4 cups of water to the pot. Crush the tomatoes using the back of a spoon. Increase heat to high and bring to a simmer and the reduce heat to medium. Simmer for about 45 minutes, until the soup reduces by about 1/4.
3. Remove soup from heat and using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth.
4. Return to the element and stir in your cream. Add beans and simmer soup over low-medium for another 10–15 minutes longer, while you prepare your croutons.
5. In a saute pan, melt the rest of your butter (1/4 cup) over medium heat. Once it begins to froth, add bread cubes and cook for about 5 minutes. Add in sprigs of rosemary and cook for another 5 minutes or until browned.
6. Season the soup with salt and pepper and top with grated cheese and croutons and enjoy!