Snowy Day Sherried Tomato Soup

 

When I woke up to four inches of snow this morning that could only mean one thing… soup! I lit a fire, fired up the espresso machine for a triple shot, and then got straight to work sautéing chopped onions.

 This Sherried Tomato Soup is everything you want on a winter’s day—full of rich flavor, a gentle spicy kick from the Bloody Mary mix, and endlessly versatile. Serve it with a grilled cheese sandwich for a cozy lunch, or offer it as an elegant starter for dinner with company.

 Customize it any way you like. I love little bits of onion, so I leave them as they are. If you prefer a smoother texture, grab an immersion blender. If chunky tomatoes are more your style, simply substitute the crushed tomatoes with petite diced.

 It’s warm, comforting, and wonderfully adaptable—perfect for snowy days and chilly nights.

Snowy Day Sherried Tomato Soup

6 T. butter
1 medium Melissa’s yellow onion, diced
1 (42-ounce) bottle Bloody Mary mix
 1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes (or substitute with petite diced tomatoes for a chunkier texture)
1 T. chicken soup base
2 T. granulated sugar
Pinch of kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 c. dry sherry
1 c. heavy cream
½ t. dried basil
½ t. dried parsley (or 1½ t. each of fresh basil and parsley)

Melt the butter in a medium stockpot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and sauté until translucent and softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in the Bloody Mary mix, crushed tomatoes, chicken soup base, sugar, salt, and black pepper. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally. Once simmering, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the dry sherry. Slowly whisk in the heavy cream until fully incorporated. Add the basil and parsley, adjusting seasoning to taste. For a smoother texture, use an immersion blender to purée the soup to your desired consistency. Serve hot.

 As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Creamy Tomato Soup

In the same way in which Franco-American played a big role in my childhood, so did tomato soup. I would have nothing other than Campbell’s tomato soup made with milk, not water. That and a grilled cheese sandwich, and I was in 10-year-old heaven! I still love tomato soup, but now I like it a little more sophisticated than what Campbell's can do. This recipe was pointed out to me by Kitty of Kitty's Kozy Kitchen as having come from the Tupelo Honey Café Cookbook. Because I am absolutely insanely in love with their pimento cheese (you can read about that here), I had to try this soup, and ultimately get the cookbook. You can find one of your own here.

Nothing could be easier than putting this soup together. Honestly, it’s only a little more work than Campbell’s. Like I tend to do, I changed this up a bit, because as I’ve mentioned many times before, when anything Italian or tomato is involved I always add a bit of red wine. So my recipe is adapted from theirs, and all the more delicious due to the hint of red wine. Try it for yourself and see what you think. With cooler weather coming, nothing is more satisfying. To me, it’s tomato soup and grilled cheese, not tea, that is the panacea for all ills.

Creamy Tomato Soup
Adapted from Tupelo Honey Café

1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
2½ cups water
½ cup dry red wine
2 T. tomato paste
1 bay leaf
2 t. sugar
1½ t. sea salt
½ t. freshly ground black pepper
1 cup heavy cream

Combine tomatoes, water, red wine, tomato paste, bay leaf, sugar and salt in a 4-cup heavy saucepan.  Bring to a boil, immediately decrease the heat to medium, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until mixture lightly coats the spoon.  Whisk in the pepper and cream and continue cooking over medium heat for about 2 minutes or until thoroughly blended.

Serve garnished with a dollop of pesto and a few sprinkles of Parmesan cheese.

PRINT RECIPE

An autumnal version of cream of tomato soup with the addition of pumpkin can be found here.

This post is linked to:

Wonderful Wednesday

O My Heartsie Girls Wonderful Wednesday

Wine’d Down Wednesday

Full Plate Thursday

This post contains affiliate links.