Tomato Basil Soup
I fell in love with tomato basil soup the first time I had it at one of my favorite restaurants that I loved to go to with my mom and sister. It was called Lucca in Old Town Orange and it always felt like such a special place when we went there together. Unfortunately Lucca closed down a couple of years ago and their famous tomato basil soup went with them. The one thing that made their soup so special was the fact that it was dairy-free. Usually when you go to a restaurant and you see tomato soup on the menu it is almost always filled with a bunch of cream. Let me tell you when I say the cream is JUST NOT NECESSARY! Sometimes the simplest recipes are more than enough!
Lucca’s Tomato Basil Soup had hints of basil and just enough orzo pasta to fill you up a little bit. It was served with a warm piece of bread and it was the perfect meal to accommodate a gloomy fall afternoon. After I found out Lucca closed I couldn’t stop thinking about how I could recreate that dang soup. I finally tried it out while I was in college and now it is one of my go-to’s. I even got a friend of mine to ask me to make it for her when she comes over and she HATES tomatoes! Now THAT is saying something. The only thing that I will say that my recipe is missing is the orzo pasta. I have yet to master the amount of orzo to put into the soup and I usually tend to put too much. Now if you want to add the orzo to yours then more power to you! Let’s get started shall we!?
INGREDIENTS:
2 TBSP Olive Oil
1 Yellow Onion, diced
4 Cloves Garlic, minced
3 Celery Stalks, chopped
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 TBSP Tomato Paste
1/2 C Fresh Basil
2 28oz cans Crushed Tomatoes
6 C Vegetable Broth
1 TSP Baking Soda
2 TBSP Garlic Salt
2 Sprigs Thyme
1/4 C Fresh Basil for topping
INSTRUCTIONS:
In a medium-large stock pot heat olive oil over medium heat.
Add onion, garlic, and celery to the pot. Stir occasionally and let cook until garlic becomes fragrant and onion becomes translucent, about 3-5 minutes.
Add salt, pepper, tomato paste, basil, crushed tomatoes, vegetable broth, and baking soda (cuts the acidity of the tomatoes). Stir.
Add garlic salt and sprigs of thyme. Bring soup to a boil. Once soup is boiling, turn temperature to low and let simmer for 15 minutes.
Take sprigs of thyme out of the soup. With an immersion blender, blend soup directly in the pot until smooth. You can also place soup in a blender and blend it that way as well.
Serve soup. Top with basil.
ENJOY!
