Last weekend BeeBop and I had the most amazing time attending the first ever Food Blog South in Birmingham. We met other bloggers, learned from some of the best in the food blogging world and enjoyed some pretty incredible food. I can’t wait to tell you all about it and I will just as soon as I slow down for a few minutes! After we came back from the weekend I had to turn right around and do a two-day road trip for my real world job and now I’m getting ready to host a party for BeeBop’s championship softball team this weekend. It has been a busy few weeks.
By the time we got home last Sunday, I was pretty much exhausted and didn’t really want to leave the house for anything much less dragging myself out for dinner. I think BeeBop pretty much felt the same way, too. So, I started looking around in the pantry to see what I had on hand. What I really wanted was something comforting. Something warm and full of tomatoes, but not pasta. Tomato soup! I just started pulling out a few things and looking in the fridge for any fresh herbs I might have on hand. I found a package of tarragon I had picked up a few days before but hadn’t used. Tarragon and tomatoes. Kind of a french twist on tomato soup? I thought – this just might work. I’m happy to tell you that I was right. This was one of the best tomato soups I’ve ever had. Rich, bright tomato flavor combined with smooth creamy sour cream and that hit of fresh tarragon just kicks it up to the next level. Try this one – you’re really going to love it. Promise.
2 tblsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
28 oz. can San Marzano tomatoes
15 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
½ cup sour cream
1 tblsp. chopped fresh tarragon (or 1 ½ tsp. dried)
Add the olive oil to a large saucepan over medium high heat. Saute the onion in the olive oil until soft.
To the sautéed onions, add the San Marzano and the diced tomatoes together with all their juices. I used a 28-ounce can of San Marzanos and a 15-ounce can of regular old diced tomatoes. Just because that’s what I had on hand. You can use any combination or all of one type. Whatever floats your boat. Add the salt and pepper. Bring to a good, steady simmer and cook for ten minutes.
Puree the sauteed tomatoes and onions using either a blender or an immersion blender directly in the pan. I really enjoy using the immersion blender. It’s easier to clean than a blender jar, easier to store and works just as well as a traditional blender. If you don’t have one, however, just ladle your tomatoes a little at a time into a regular blender and puree them. Return it all to the pan when you have the consistency you want. I left some chunks in the pan simply because I prefer it that way. If you want yours very smooth, just blend a little longer.
Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the sour cream and tarragon.
Makes about 4 one-cup servings. Garnish each with a dollop of sour cream and a little tarragon if desired.
Enjoy!
A wonderfully flavored tomato soup with a little French twist - tarragon!
Ingredients
- 2 tblsp. olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 28 oz. can San Marzano tomatoes
- 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 tblsp. chopped fresh tarragon (or 1 1/2 tsp. dried)
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a large saucepan over medium high heat.
- Saute the onion in the olive oil until soft.
- To the sautéed onions, add the San Marzano and the diced tomatoes together with all their juices.
- Add salt and pepper.
- Cook at a high simmer for about ten minutes the puree using either a blender or an immersion blender directly in the pan.
- Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the sour cream and tarragon.
- Garnish each with a dollop of sour cream and a little tarragon if desired.
Other tomato soups you might enjoy from around the internet:
- 101 Cookbook’s Roasted Tomato Soup
- Egyptian Tomato Soup from The Kitchn
- Joy the Baker’s Creamy Tomato Soup
- Spinach Tomato Soup at Eclectic Recipes
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{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
ooooh this looks good. Can’t wait to try this recipe.
Fantastic! just enough creaminess to bring all the flavors together! I stumbled it. GREG
Thanks so much for the stumble, Greg!
Ms.Lana!!! You were at FoodBlogSouth?! I didn’t get to meet you :( How incredibly sad! Next year?
Soup looks great :)
Yes, I was there! And BeeBop, too. If I had known you were there, I would have tracked you down! Next year for sure!
Ooh this tomato soup looks thick, flavorful, and delicious!! :)
the best recipes are ones that just come together – I like the flavors in here Lana, think the sour cream didn’t hurt one bit
I am a huge tomato soup fan, i usually like mine with rice in it. I have no idea why but that is how my mom used to serve it for me as a kid and just have kept the tradition. This soup is gorgeous!
Sounds wonderful, Now I want a grilled cheese and some tomato soup.
I’m a tomato soup, and this one is such a good one, Lana. Plus I’ve got loads of fresh plum tomatoes AND tarragon in the garden now. Can’t wait to try!
Oops! I meant to say that I’m a tomato soup fanatic!
Awesome looking soup Lana!
Perfect timing for this recipe! My 14 year old daughter was just diagnosed with celiac disease so no more condensed soups in our household. (and I’m afraid I’m a true 70s cook – you should see my recipe card for copper pennies) I’m realizing the best way to be sure foods are gluten-free is to strip recipes down to the basics and this one fits the bill. Thanks!
I hope y’all will enjoy this soup. You can, of course, change the herb any way you like. Basil would be great in place of the tarragon. I think dill would be good, too.
Thanks for posting this — found it via Google. I followed your recipe but added a half-teaspoon of sugar to counter the acidity of the tomatoes and a half-pound of wild-caught shrimp for sheer amazingness. Oh, so good! :D
Glad you enjoyed the recipe, Sean. The addition of shrimp sounds fantastic.
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