Author Notes: This is a spicy tomato soup that you can make on a whim and eat nearly as soon. (It’s also, at its core, 5 vegan ingredients you probably already have.) Recipe adapted very slightly from Stir: Mixing It Up in the Italian Tradition (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009). —Genius Recipes
Serves: 6
Ingredients
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2
tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
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1
small yellow onion, peeled, halved, and sliced into 1/4-inch-thick slices
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1
teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste — we started with 1/2 teaspoon)
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2
(28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes
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1 1/2
cups water
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1/4
cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
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Kosher salt
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Freshly ground black pepper
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Crème fraîche, for garnish (optional)
Directions
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onions and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent and very tender, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the tomatoes and their juices, plus the water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the flavors have melded, about 30 minutes. (If you’re in a hurry, you can skip the simmer time — just add a bit less water.) Add the basil, season with salt and pepper, remove from the heat, and let cool briefly, about 5 minutes.
- Set a fine-mesh strainer over a large, heatproof bowl. Using a blender, purée the soup in batches until smooth, removing the small cap from the blender lid (the pour lid) and covering the space with a kitchen towel (this allows steam from the hot soup to escape and prevents the blender lid from popping off).
- Pour the blended soup through the strainer, pressing on the solids with a rubber spatula or ladle; discard the solids. Taste the soup and season with additional salt and pepper as needed.
- Return the soup to the saucepan and reheat on medium low until hot. If you choose, serve topped with a tablespoon of crème fraîche.
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Photo by James Ransom
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Photo by James Ransom