Creamy Dairy-Free Tomato Soup

Creamy tomato soup is a classic comfort food. For me, tomato soup reminds me of siblings--my brother, sister, and I share a strong love for tomato soup that typically resulted in lots of outings to the local Nordstrom cafe for their tomato-basil soup.

Luckily, tomato soup is really easy to cook at home. This recipe takes about ~30 minutes to cook, and it keeps well in the fridge if you want to make it ahead of time.

This dairy-free creamy tomato soup boasts bright tomato flavors--it makes a perfect mate for the grilled cheese sandwiches I featured earlier today!

I also particularly love that this recipe is dairy-free. You could easily make it vegan by switching the chicken broth with vegetable stock.

Creamy Dairy-Free Tomato Soup

From Cook's Illustrated

1/4 cup olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

3 medium garlic cloves, minced

pinch hot red pepper flakes (optional)

1 bay leaf

2 cans (28 oz. each) of whole tomatoes and juice

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon brown sugar

3 large slices good-quality sandwich bread, crusts removed, and torn into 1-inch pieces

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 tablespoons brandy (optional)

Salt and black ground pepper

Chives (optional)

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed sauce pan heat over medium-high until oil is shimmering. Add onion, garlic, red pepper, and the bay leaf. Stir frequently and cook until the onions are translucent.

Stir in tomatoes and their juice. Using a potato masher, mash the tomatoes until pieces are smaller than 2 inches.

Stir in sugar and bread. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer. After about 5 minutes, the bread should start to break down. Discard the bay leaf.

Transfer half of the soup to the blender. Add one tablespoon of oil, and blend the soup until smooth and creamy. Transfer the blended soup to a large bowl. Repeat with the remainder of the soup.

Return the soup to the now empty pot. Stir in the chicken broth and brandy. Let the soup boil over medium heat and then season with salt and pepper.