Homemade Tomato Soup with San Marzano Tomatoes
A silky, slightly chunky tomato soup built on butter-sweated onions, plenty of garlic, and San Marzano tomatoes. Aleppo pepper adds gentle warmth, fish sauce adds depth, and fresh basil goes in at the end for brightness. Finish with cream, Parmesan, and more basil.
Equipment
- 1 Immersion Blender or Standard Blender
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 yellow onions finely chopped
- 8 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp Aleppo pepper flakes
- 2 cups chicken stock low sodium
- 2 28-oz cans crushed tomatoes with their juice (56 oz total), preferably San Marzano
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil plus more to serve
- 1 Tbsp sugar plus more to taste
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper plus more to taste
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce
To serve
- Heavy whipping cream
- Freshly grated Parmesan
- Fresh chopped basil
Instructions
- Sweat the onions. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft, about 8 minutes.
- Add the aromatics. Stir in the garlic and Aleppo pepper and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Blend the base. Pour in the stock and blend with an immersion blender until smooth.
- Add the tomatoes. Stir in the tomatoes, sugar, salt, pepper, and fish sauce. Bring to a simmer.
- Simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the basil. Stir in the basil for the last 5 minutes of simmering. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.
- Serve. Ladle into bowls and top with a drizzle of cream, fresh basil, and grated Parmesan.
Notes
Pre-blending the onion, garlic, and stock leaves the tomatoes with a little texture. For a completely smooth soup, skip step 3 and blend the whole pot with an immersion blender after the basil goes in.