Creamy Tomato Soup: A Veganomicon Variation for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

I was craving creamy tomato soup this weekend, the perfect time to try this version from Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. Instead of milk, cream or a non-dairy milk alternative to make it creamy, this recipe uses potatoes.

Veganomicon says, "This soup packs a double one-two punch of tomato. Just when you're thinking it's made from regular old tomato--BAM--a sun-dried tomato gets you in the jaw and you are out for the count. You wake up on Avenue C and 4th Street wearing one shoe that is not vegan and you have no idea what happened."

Creamy Tomato Soup
Recipe from Veganomicon 
(Serves 8)

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped coarsely
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp dried rosemary (crushed between your fingers)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
lots of freshly ground black pepper
1 lb waxy potatoes (2-4 average size--weigh to be sure), peeled & cut into 1-inch chunks
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes (not the kind packed in oil)
6 cups water or veggie broth
1 (28 oz) can crush tomatoes (fire-roasted preferred)
juice of 1/2 lemon, or to taste

Preheat a large soup pot over medium heat. Add oil and saute the onions until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper and saute for one more minute, until the garlic is fragrant. 

Add the potatoes and sun-dried tomatoes. Pour in the water or broth. Cover and bring to a boil. Once the soup is boiling, lower the heat to medium, cover, and let simmer for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the sun-dried tomatoes are soft. 

Add the crushed tomatoes and heat through. If you have an immersion blender, you're in luck! Puree the living hell out of it until it is very smooth. If you don't have one, just transfer the whole shebang to a food processor or blender, in cooled batches, then transfer back to the pot. Add the lemon juice and adjust for salt in you need to.  

Veganomicon Tip: "The "creamy" comes from potatoes. Yukon golds work great here, but of course, you can use whatever you've got. Try to avoid a regular starchy Russet, since waxy potatoes give a creamier texture."

Notes/Results: Thick, rich and creamy. The sun-dried tomatoes do add that extra punch of flavor the book describes. I stuck close to the recipe on this one--but I did use an Italian herb mix in place of the individual rosemary, thyme and oregano. I served mine with grilled seeded bread--great for dipping. This is a quick and easy soup to put together and it tastes great--I would make it again. 

We have some delicious soups and a hearty salad waiting in the Souper Sundays kitchen--let's take a look.

Heather of girlichef has a gorgeous Creamy Kabocha Squash Soup with Toasted Walnuts, Honey and Truffle Oil and says, "...this soup features kabocha squash, which once roasted, is creamy and sweet.  The richness of cream lends a silkiness that almost makes each bite feel naughty.  The miniscule drizzles of honey and truffle oil on top volley for your attention... sweet or musky, sweet or musky.  And then there is those earthy, oily, toasted walnuts that lend crunch to each spoonful."

Corina of Searching for Spice is back with this hearty Green Lentil with Coriander Soup. She says, "I love making soups like this as they are warm, filling and are useful for using up any leftover vegetables.  Although the lentils are very dark,  I love the colours of all the vegetables showing up in the soup and I especially love the fresh coriander stirred in at the end.  It makes the soup taste very fresh".

Janet of The Taste Space shares a soup this week, this healthy Smoky Black Eyed Pea and Kale Stew and says, "This is no ordinary bean and green stew. Along with black eyed peas and kale, there is red pepper as well as my addition of oyster mushrooms. It is a European spice mash-up with oregano and thyme as well as smoked paprika and Ancho chile powder. I was scared to use a full tablespoon of smoked paprika, but feel free to use more because this was not spicy. I ended up adding liquid smoke at the end for a further depth of flavour." 

Nicola of Lemon and Cheese made this colorful Mexican Chicken and Tortilla Soup and says, "This is the Mexican meal I had on Saturday night. It's a recipe that my sister gave me which I think she got from a friend. It is super tasty and obviously the amount of chilli/chipotle paste is quite low, so if you like things spicy you can always add more. I forgot half the toppings but it was delicious nonetheless and definitely one I will be making again."

Please join me in welcoming Mireille of Chef Mireille's Global Creations, joining in for the first time at Souper Sundays with this hearty Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili. She says, "It came out perfect.  Just mix all the ingredients together and put in the slow cooker.  Go to work or run errands and 10 hours later, you can be greeted with this delicious chili waiting for you.  Some nice crusty bread and a salad and dinner is ready! (Note: you can cook the chili in half the time using canned beans)." Welcome Mireille! 

Finally one meaty salad this week from Pam at Sidewalk Shoes, this Skirt Steak Salad with Wilted Greens, Tomato, Avocado and Lime. Pam says, "First of all, let me apologize for my photo.  We had this New Years Eve night and I had a glass of wine while I was making it.  I only took one photo because I was hungry and it looked so good.  Apparently I focused my extremely small depth of field right there in the middle. ... This was so good and so easy.  It was fresh yet filling, a little spicy, and it was so good that I forgot the cheese and it didn’t even need it!"

Thanks to everyone who joined in this week. If you have a soup, salad or sandwich that you would like to share, just click on the Souper Sundays logo on my side bar for all of the details.

Have a happy, healthy week!