Living in Seattle I’m used to the rain, but this week’s forecast looks ridiculous! 😩  So I made a pot of Creamy Tomato Soup with Parmesan Crisps for dunking, and may or may not leave the house for a week…  It took me a few years to get this soup just right, but I’ve finally found the perfect balance of tomato, cream, and spices.  And if you haven’t made Parmesan Crisps before, today is a great time to start.  They’re wonderful to use as a topping for soups and salads.  So good!

Does this look like soup weather to anyone else?

Let’s get started!

Tomatoes

This recipe uses canned tomatoes, which is really convenient when it’s the dead of winter and there aren’t great fresh tomatoes in the grocery store.  I like to look for San Marzano style tomatoes, and in this soup prefer “Fire Roasted” for a little extra depth of flavor.

Simmer the tomateos, onion, garlic, cream, stock, spices, and broth on the stovetop for about 30 minutes.  Look how beautiful it is!

Parmesan Crisps

While the Creamy Tomato Soup simmers, grate a whole bunch of fresh parmesan cheese on the fine side of your cheese grater.  If you can find it, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese is the way to go.  It’s a little more expensive, but these crisps only take 1 tablespoon of cheese each.  Just be sure not to use the powdered Parmesan cheese in a green bottle.  It will always have a place in my kitchen, but this isn’t what I would bake with it.

Place the cheese in 1 tablespoon mounds on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 5-7 minutes until set.

Before:

After:

It honestly couldn’t be easier!  I have to admit to that chips and cheese are two of my favorite foods (tell me I’m not the only one!), and so these Parmesan Crisps are right up my alley!

And they’re so good dunked in soups and sprinkled over salads!

Finishing the Soup

Puree the tomato soup mixture in the blender and serve with a drizzle of olive oil, pesto, and a grilled cheese sandwhich (of course!).

Creamy Tomato Soup

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, smashed with the side of a knife and peeled
5 cups canned whole (fire roasted is good!) tomatoes in juice (this is a little less than 2 (28 ounce) cans of tomatoes
1 (14.5 ounce) can low sodium chicken broth
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (this will make the soup a little bit spicy, so increase or decrease the amount at your discretion)
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano (or 1/2 t fresh, finely chopped)
1 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar (more to taste)
Olive oil, for drizzling
Pesto, for drizzling

Heat butter and olive oil in a large saucepan until butter is melted. Add the onion and garlic and sauté over medium-low heat until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Do not brown the onions and garlic. Add the tomatoes, broth, cream, salt, red pepper flakes, celery seed, oregano, and sugar. Bring to a soft boil, cover, and lower the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 30-45 minutes. Remove from heat.

Puree tomato mixture in a blender until completely smooth. Depending on the size of your blender, you may want to do this in batches. Alternately, you can use an immersion blender and blend until smooth. But be careful because hot soup, or the steam from hot soup, can burn you. Season to taste, adding more cream, milk, broth, or sugar as needed.

Drizzle with olive oil and pesto just before serving.

Parmesan Crisps

Any amount of Parmesan Cheese,* grated on fine side of grater

Bake 1 tablespoon mounds of cheese on a parchment lined baking sheet at 400 for 5-7 minutes, until set.

They will continue to crisp after taking out of the oven, so be careful not to overcook.

Serve in salads or tomato soup.

*The best type of Parmesan cheese to use for these crisps is Parmigiano-Reggiano. If it’s not available, regular Parmesan cheese will work well too. I love the powdery Parmesan cheese in the green bottles as much as the next person, but it doesn’t work well in this recipe.