Meatless Friday: Italian Cream of Tomato Soup

It's mid-summer and tomato season is on! Uh oh — I still have tomatoes frozen from last season’s bumper crop. Better make some soup … This is a simple recipe and can be modified easily to taste.

Italian Cream of Tomato Soup

8 c. fresh or frozen tomatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tbl olive oil 1 lrg sweet onion (not Vidalia), diced, about a 1 -1 ½ cups
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 tbl beef bouillon paste (or chicken if meatless Friday); cubes will make the soup MUCH saltier.
2 tsp Italian seasoning (seasonings vary widely so start with one tsp and add more if needed)
1 c frozen chopped spinach (about ½ bag)
1 tbl parmesan cheese (optional) ½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
1/3 c sour cream

In stock pot, sauté in olive oil the onions until tender, add garlic and sauté a minute or two longer. Add chopped tomatoes, bouillon paste, Italian seasoning, and pepper flakes. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add spinach and parmesan cheese and bring back to a simmer. Place sour cream in a 16 ounce measuring cup and using a whisk temper it with hot broth from soup— a tablespoon or so at a time to prevent curdling—and then add to soup. Heat through and serve with a side of crusty French bread drizzled with olive oil. As a meal this will serve 5, if an entree about 8. Freezes up to six weeks.

In a hurry? Use canned stewed Italian tomatoes and skip the seasoning.

Don’t like cream soups? This is awesome without the sour cream but you must use beef bouillon or it will taste like spaghetti sauce. When I’ve made it as a clear soup, I’ve also sautéed ½ c. diced leftover roast beef with the onions.

Don’t want leftover frozen spinach? Dump in the whole bag and add a few more tomatoes.

What's cooking? Find all our Meatless Friday featured recipes here.