Kickin’ Tomato Soup

I hope everyone’s had a great long weekend remembering all who’s served and are serving and enjoying time with family and friends! I have been moving all the weekend. I think for the most part we have all the small stuff moved over. Just waiting for this Saturday to move all the furniture to the house and then we’ll be officially in. We’re still staying in the apartment, which really sucks because it’s really barren and whenever we go to the new house to organize, I’m just wishing we were already in there! Oh, so my props and spice/pantry were 5 separate boxes. I think they each weighed like 20 pounds. It’s ridiculous, but I’m so thrilled to be in my new kitchen because the cabinet space is SO spacious and it holds so much. Which, is funny because now what was busting at the seams at the apartment, it’s so empty at the new house. I guess I gotta purchase more props ;)

Since I’ve been moving all weekend and we’ve been living off of leftovers, pizza, and take-out, I thought I’d share a really simple recipe that is great to make ahead of time and put half the batch in the freezer and half in the fridge so you can heat it up whenever, ie: when you’re moving.

Tomato soup is one of my favorite soups, ever. It’s just so good. I love the consistency and the flavor. Simplicity at its best! I love pairing it with some grilled cheese. Best comfort combination. We had it with the bacon & avocado grilled cheese a few weeks ago. Oh my gosh, it was perfection.

Grab the recipe below to make this silly easy dish to pair with your favorite dinner!

Also, Rachel of Rachel Cooks is featuring me in her “Day in the Life” series so go on over there to check out what a regular day for me is like…it’s definitely not all about food, although I often wish it were :)

Kickin’ Tomato Soup

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Yield: 4-6 servings | Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

1 large onion, finely chopped

6 cloves of garlic, minced

3 (14 oz.) cans of Hunt’s fire-roasted tomatoes

2 cups chicken stock

1/4 cup half and half

1/2 tbsp. crushed red pepper flakes*

Large handful of basil leaves, coarsely chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. In a large pot, saute the onions with some olive oil until translucent then add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
2. Next, add in the tomatoes and cook covered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add in the chicken stock and half and half, bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 10-15 minutes, until mixture has thickened.
3. Add the basil, crushed red pepper, and salt/pepper. Lower your heat and cook for 5 minutes more.
4. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until it is a smooth consistency and there are no large chunks left.
5. Add the cooked chicken to the sauce mixture, stir to combine, and simmer for 10-15 minutes more.
6. Serve immediately with some crusty bread or grilled cheese!
7. You can store this in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Julie’s notes: The original recipe called for 1 tbsp. of crushed red pepper flakes, I figured that’d be way too spicy for me, so I halved it. 1/2 tbsp. still has a ton of heat to it so I’d suggest starting out with 1/4 tsp. then going up from there. Remember, the longer it cooks, the more heat it will produce so taste it before adding more!

Source: Adapted from The Novice Chef