This 7-ingredient tomato soup is easy to make and brings out the flavor of fresh, ripe tomatoes with a hint of smokiness from smoked paprika.
My most favorite thing about my Dreyer Farms CSA membership is the fact that for a precious few weeks of the year, I get to trek into the fields and pick flowers and tomatoes. For a cloud computing product manager who spends an infinite number of hours in front of a computer, the opportunity to meander through a farm field is like a mini vacation. This particular summer was a rough one in New Jersey with a cold Spring and lots of rain, resulting in a tomato season that was, well, challenging. And so, as the cherry tomato plants dwindled, the farm allowed us to cross into new territory and pick full-size heirloom tomatoes. For dorks like me, it’s kinda like winning the lottery.
These tomatoes are GORGEOUS. Yes, I had to navigate mud. Yes, I put my hand through more than a few mushy overripe tomatoes. But I got a few red and yellow tomatoes that had a few blemishes but were downright delicious. You might think cooking them in tomato soup will compromise the flavor, but look at the recipe: the tomatoes are the star. And they are only cooked for 10 minutes which lets them keep that vine-ripe flavor.
Don’t make this tomato soup in winter, people. If you want winter soup, go for farro and bean or leek and potato.
- 1 small onion, coarsely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- 3 pounds ripe tomatoes, preferably heirloom, cored and roughly chopped
- Leaves from 2 sprigs of thyme
- ¼ tsp. smoked paprika, or more to taste
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 3 Tbsp. heavy cream
- Heat a little olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic. Season with a little salt and sweat the onions for about 5 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes and thyme and cover the pan. Let cook for 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to puree the mixture. Stir in the paprika, cheese and cream. Season to taste with salt.
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