Creamy Vegan Tomato Soup
Creamy vegan tomato soup is classic, old-fashioned tomato soup, period. Here's how to make it the best possible version of itself.
Calories: 309kcal
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) olive oil
- 1 white onion diced small
- 8 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 tablespoons (23 grams) flour
- 4 cups (950 ml) good vegetable stock or broth
- 1 28- ounce 793-gram can diced tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon (12 grams) sugar
- 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Warm the oil in a 5-quart pot over medium heat.
- Add the onion, garlic, and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is softened, about five minutes. Control the heat as necessary to avoid browning.
- Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring almost constantly, for 30 seconds.
- Pour in the broth and stir well to distribute the flour-coated onions and garlic and allow the flour to incorporate into the broth.
- Stir in tomatoes, sugar, herbes de Provence, and pepper.
- Raise heat to high. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.
- With an immersion blender or in a regular or high-speed blender, carefully purée the soup, in batches if necessary, until perfectly smooth.
Notes
- White onion is sweeter and larger than most other varieties and works really well here. It's no big deal, though. You can use a large yellow or red onion or even a couple of medium-sized shallots.
- I've called for diced canned tomatoes. Whole or crushed are also fine. In all cases, use the entire contents of the can.
- A good-quality basic olive oil imparts a lovely backbone of flavor to this recipe without being obtrusive. If you prefer, you can use your favorite vegan butter.
- Homemade vegetable stock works beautifully if you happen to have some on hand. If not, this recipe is great with a high-quality boxed veggie broth, too (that's usually what I use). My favorite boxed vegetable broth by far is Imagine No Chicken lower-sodium broth. It has a great flavor profile and none of the rust-colored nonsense that plagues many other brands.
- Use all-purpose flour, or, to make this recipe gluten-free, a good 1:1 GF flour blend.
- A teaspoon of herbes de Provence adds the perfect subtle flavor to this classic recipe. Blends vary but usually contain some combination of savory, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and lavender.
- As with most soups, this one only improves over time. You can make this recipe up to a week in advance, store in an airtight container in the fridge, and reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave. Or freeze for up to a year. Treat any leftovers the same way.
Nutrition
Calories: 309kcal | Carbohydrates: 36.4g | Protein: 10.4g | Fat: 17g | Fiber: 7.1g