Name: Creamy Tomato Soup with Buttery Croutons
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons unsalted butter; 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 1 medium onion, very thinly sliced; 3 garlic cloves, smashed; 5 cups canned whole tomatoes in their juice (from three 14-ounce cans); 1 cup water; 2/3 cup heavy cream; 1 tablespoon sugar; 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper; 1/4 teaspoon celery seed; 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano; Salt and freshly ground pepper; black pepper; Four 3/4-inch-thick slices of white country bread, crusts trimmed, bread cut into 3/4-inch dice

Total Time:

30 mins

Servings:

6

This quick soup comes together in just half an hour using canned tomatoes and other pantry ingredients.
The addition of heavy cream adds a heft and luxurious texture that can turn the soup into a meal of its own.
Brown butter–infused croutons bring both crunch and nutty, rich flavor to each bowlful.

Seattle chef Tom Douglas shares a recipe for a creamy tomato soup that comes together easily in just 30 minutes. He coaxes big flavor out of pantry staples — like canned tomatoes, garlic, onion, and dried seasonings such as celery seed, oregano, and crushed red pepper. Stirring in heavy cream then blending the whole soup until smooth makes for a particularly silky, luscious result.

The butteriest homemade croutons

This soup is delicious when eaten on its own, but the crowning glory is the croutons strewn on top. Douglas shares an easy technique for making them on the stovetop while the soup simmers: Melt butter in a skillet and cook it until it begins to brown, then set it aside and toast diced bread in olive oil in the same pan. Once the bread is toasty, toss the croutons with the brown butter and sprinkle over each bowl of soup for a simple but satisfying meal.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

You can puree the soup in batches in a countertop blender or use an immersion blender to save time and avoid having to rewarm it before serving.
Douglas recommends white country bread for the croutons but feel free to use whatever bread you have on hand.

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Ingredients

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Original recipe (1X) yields 6 servings

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, very thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, smashed
5 cups canned whole tomatoes in their juice (from 3 [14-ounce] cans)
1 cup water
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 (3/4-inch-thick) slices of white country bread, crusts trimmed, bread cut into 3/4-inch dice

Directions

Cara Cormack

Gather the ingredients.
Cara Cormack

In a large saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the sliced onion and smashed garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
Cara Cormack

Add the tomatoes and their juice, the water, heavy cream, sugar, crushed red pepper, celery seed, and oregano; season with salt and pepper. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, breaking up the tomatoes with the back of a spoon. Reduce the heat to moderate and simmer for 10 minutes.
Cara Cormack

Working in batches, transfer the tomato soup to a blender and puree until smooth.
Cara Cormack

Meanwhile, in a small skillet, cook the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter over moderately high heat until it begins to brown, about 1 minute. Scrape the browned butter into a medium bowl. Add the olive oil to the skillet. Add the diced bread and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until it is slightly browned, about 6 minutes. Transfer the bread to the browned butter and toss well.
Cara Cormack

Return the soup to a clean pot and rewarm it if necessary; season with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with the croutons.