Tomato Basil Alphabet Soup Recipes

TOMATO ALPHABET SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy pot over medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring often, until onions are softened, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in carrot and celery, and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 10 minutes.
• While the vegetables cook, strain the tomatoes over a bowl, separating the juice from the whole tomatoes, then squeeze the tomatoes over the liquid. Add the squeezed tomatoes and the tomato paste to the pot and cook, stirring frequently, until tomatoes start to caramelize, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta in salted boiling water according to packing instructions. Reserve 1 cup of cooking liquid, strain, then return pasta to the pasta pot and gently stir in remaining 2 tablespoons butter; season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Add the tomato juices from the bowl and 2 cups water to the soup pot, stirring to scrape up any caramelized bits. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, partly covered, until the vegetables are very tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Using an immersion or countertop blender, pureé the soup until very smooth. (If using a countertop blender, blend in batches with a kitchen towel over the lid of the blender.) Stir in pasta water as needed to thin soup to desired consistency. Stir in buttered alphabets and adjust seasoning. Divide among soup bowls.

PROVENçAL TOMATO AND BASIL SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven. Add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until tender, about five minutes. Stir in half the garlic and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds to a minute. Add the tomatoes, sugar, basil sprigs or leaves and remaining garlic. Cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes have cooked down and smell fragrant, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Add the water, Parmesan rind and salt to taste. Bring to a simmer, cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer 15 minutes. Add the tapioca or rice, and simmer for another 15 minutes until the tapioca is tender and the soup fragrant. Remove the basil sprigs and Parmesan rind. Puree in a blender in small batches, taking care to place a towel over the top of the blender and hold it down tightly. If you used fresh unpeeled tomatoes and want a silkier soup, put through a strainer, using a spatula or the back of a ladle to push the soup through. Return to the pot, add pepper to taste and adjust salt. Serve garnished with garlic croutons and/or Parmesan, if desired, and slivered basil leaves. If serving cold, refrigerate until chilled.

TOMATO BASIL SOUP

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large pot over medium-low heat; cook and stir onion, carrots, celery, and garlic until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in both amounts of tomato sauce, chicken broth, basil, and oregano. Increase heat to medium and simmer until soup is reduced, 10 to 20 minutes.
• Pour soup into a blender no more than half full. Cover and hold lid down; pulse a few times before leaving on to blend. Add cream. Continue to puree in batches until smooth, transferring creamy soup to another pot.
• Heat soup over medium-high heat until hot, about 5 minutes more.

QUICK TOMATO ALPHABET SOUP

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium high heat.
• Add onion, carrot and celery, saute 4 minutes or until tender.
• Add broth, basil, pepper and tomatoes, bring to boil, reduce heat, simmer 15 minutes.
• Stir in 1/2 cup pasta.
• Remove from heat, let stand 5 minutes.
• Place half of the tomato mixture in a blender and process until smooth.
• Pour pureed soup into a large bowl, repeat procedure with remaining tomato mixture.
• Return pureed soup to pan; stir in remaining pasta and milk.
• Cook over medium high heat 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently, do not boil.