It’s been raining non-stop here in Texas. It’s dark, actually kind of chilly, and the kind of weather that practically screams for coziness. Weird… because it’s AUGUST. In, I repeat, TEXAS. I mean, I’ll take it… but not without this Creamy Tomato and Spinach Soup to warm me up!
As Julia Child famously said, “if you’re afraid of butter, use cream.” Since I’m not afraid of either, I took her words to heart and used both, which makes this soup decadent tasting and creamy and smooth and extra cozy. But don’t let that fool you- even with its high fat content, this soup is PACKED with good for you veggies- tomatoes, plenty of spinach, and even some carrots hiding in there! And keep in mind: not all butter and cream are created equal. Organic dairy products from grass-fed cows have been shown to have a higher content of heart-healthy Omega-3 fatty acids. So there you go. You should obviously eat more (organic grass-fed) butter and cream in your diet, barring a lactose intolerance (and also remember that I am a food blogger, not a nutritionist) :-)
In late spring, I planted about 20 tomato seeds. They sprouted into plants, and then… nothing. If I had managed to grow a bunch of fresh tomatoes, mark my words: this soup would have been made from them. But since high quality tomatoes from the store are often expensive (and really not that great), I used the next best thing: fire-roasted canned diced tomatoes. Fire-roasted is key here. There is SO much more flavor packed into fire-roasted tomatoes, which will make this soup have much more depth. I did, however, manage to grow some fresh thyme, which I used in this recipe. I almost always prefer fresh herbs to dried, but if you don’t have fresh thyme or want to make this recipe even more budget-friendly, you can use dried. The general rule is: 1 teaspoon of dried herbs = 1 tablespoon of fresh.
If anyone has any advice for tomato plant growing, I’d love to hear your tips in the comments so I have plenty of fresh tomatoes next year! Besides the delicious factor of this soup, I love it because it’s quick to make (20 minutes!), budget-friendly, and ridiculously easy. And flexible! Don’t have carrots? Leave ’em out. If you want plain ol’ creamy tomato soup, just omit the spinach. You’ll need an immersion blender for this recipe- one of my favorite all-time kitchen tools. It’s like a magic wand that you stick in the pot, press on, and watch as your soup transforms from chunky to smooth as velvet. It’s truly amazing, and I highly recommend getting one. Yes, you can use a standing blender in batches to blend the soup… but who wants to wash an entire blender and lug it out from the depths of your cabinets? I sure don’t! For a more classic simple tomato soup, try this smooth and velvety roasted red pepper and tomato soup. This is best served with a BLT sandwich :-) Recipe below!
