Dreamy Tomato Soup

Deviant Art - Saehral

I had the most epic dream. Yeah, I dream a lot. And yeah, they're usually pretty geeky dreams. My dreams seem to be affected by what game I played last or what series of books I read recently. Whenever I tell my husband about my geek dreams, he gives me that sly look and says "You've been playing too much <insert latest game addiction> lately." That's when I roll my eyes and tell him I'm not sharing my epic dreams with him anymore.

Anyway, I think my dream was inspired by a mix between Codex Alera, D&D, and SWTOR. It was freakin' awesome. I could fly, I had force powers, there was an large-scale battle going on with a big bad boss and his cronies that I was fighting my way through. There were close calls and bad falls. There were triumphs and lots of butt-kicking-for-goodness! But, like all dreams, when you start explaining it to someone else, it just can't compare to experiencing it yourself. It's all a confused jumble to try and sort out and tell someone else about. Words just don't suffice.

Now I'll bet you're wondering what all this has to do with tomato soup. I'm getting there. I love Campbell's tomato soup. I figured if you're going to have tomato soup, that's the best way you could have it. However, canned soup doesn't fit my into my diet very often anymore. (If you want to learn more about what I'm doing you can check out RillsMenu.com) But, I can make my own soups!

Do you know how hard it is to find a tomato soup recipe that tastes like my favorite canned soup? HARD! I've tried recipe after recipe. But the effort was worth it because I have success. This tomato soup is not only simple to make but it's epic-ly delish. DREAMWORTHY! It's seriously like something I dreamed about that I can't describe to you! You have to experience it! You will not believe how good this tastes. It's not just like Campbell's....it's better than!

Dreamy Tomato Soup

4 Servings | Total Time: 35 min | Journeyman

Mats:

• 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 1 Tbl Unsalted Butter
• 1 can Tomato Puree (not paste)
• 1/2 can Crushed Tomatoes
• 1 tsp Basil
• 1 1/2 cups Vegetable Stock
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Sugar
• 1/4 tsp Pepper
• 1/2 cup Heavy Cream

Craft: In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, sauté the garlic in the olive oil or butter on medium-heat for 1 to 2 minutes just until the garlic has softened, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the basil, tomato puree and the crushed tomatoes, adding all juice. Bring mixture to a simmer. Add the stock, salt, sugar, black pepper, and red pepper flakes if using. Bring the mixture to a simmer and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes to cool a bit. Puree the soup in 3-4 batches in a blender. (If you lack a blender, leave the soup slightly chunky for a ‘rustic’ version. Personally, I prefer pureed, silky tomato soup.) Return the pureed soup to a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring back to a simmer over medium-heat. Stir in the heavy cream.

Strategies: You can top this with cheddar, pepperoni, crackers, bread...whatever suits your fancy. I personally love it with just a little cheese and some crumbled saltines.

LFM: Biscuits and/or salad!

Cost:

• Tomato Puree | $0.75
  
• Crushed Tomatoes | $1.50
  
• Vegetable Stock | $1.00
• Heavy Cream | $1.25

Total Cost: $4.50
Cost Per Serving: $1.13

Category: Critical Hits, Casual, Troll Fuel