If you’re questioning whether the sous chef and I are even eating solid foods anymore (between this, the pumpkin bisque, french onion soup, chicken chili, and wine, of course — wait, can you eat wine? I mean, if I could, I would, so we’ll leave that right there), the answer is… questionable.
But it apparently feels like 8 degrees outside today – I say apparently because I am 100% hibernating today and overdosing on hot tomato soup with bacon (#sorrynotsorry) – and I have no intention of finding out for myself.
Just to clarify, you did hear me right: Bacon (aka my happy place, duh). And cheddar. Cheddar and bacon are pretty much besties (#squadgoals), and I’m pretty sure they’d make any recipe better, so you won’t be shocked when I tell you they actually pretty much just did make this recipe. I mean, creamy tomato soup – it’s a staple – but add bacon and cheddar? Um, game-changer.
Really quick here, a rundown of my top 5 favorite foods: 1) Bacon. 2) Bacon. 3) Bacon. 4) The crispy skin of a roast chicken. 5) Wine.
So given that bacon dominates my top three, you’re not going to be surprised when I tell you this soup is totally delicious. And if you’re worried about like, calories, or something utterly ridiculous from the cream and bacon, rest assured – because the tomatoes and basil in this baby totally cancel out calories. It’s science. My wine glass told me so.
| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | 1 1/2 hours |
| Servings |
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- 3 1/2 lbs. vine-ripened tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
- 1 1/2 tablespoons salt divided
- 3 teaspoons pepper divided
- 1 sweet onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup basil leaves julienned
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 5 strips bacon cooked and crumbled
- 2 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese grated
Ingredients
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- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Place the vine-ripened tomatoes in a large baking dish. Drizzle one tablespoon of olive oil atop the tomatoes and season with 1/2 tablespoon of salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes to one hour, until caramelized.
- In a large pot, add your remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for 3-4 more minutes.
- Add the chicken stock and heavy cream to the pot. Stir in the basil, sugar and tomato paste.
- Once the tomatoes have roasted, add the tomatoes to the pan, juices included.
- Using an immersion blender, puree all of the ingredients until creamy and smooth. Alternatively, transfer the soup to a food processor and puree in batches if you don't have an immersion blender.
- Once pureed, mix in the bacon crumbles and cheddar cheese. Simmer on low for 25-30 minutes. With that, enjoy!
Our wine choice to pair with this creamy tomato soup: 2006 La Loggia Barbera d'Alba from Trader Joe's. I'm totally a fan of a lighter red to serve with this soup, and it has soft tannins to balance the acidity of the tomatoes. It has a subtle smokey flavor which brings out the bacon (my number one priority) - and it's a steal for the price.
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