In this post: The Secret to a Great Roasted Tomato and Artichoke Soup
What’s my secret to a great roasted tomato and artichoke soup? What is the trick to creating the best-tasting, most deeply flavorful bowl of warm-you-from-head-to-toes goodness? That’s an easy one, my friends. The answer to this oft-asked question (I literally have been asked this question many times), is in the artichokes. Yep. The simple yet highly potent addition of tangy, punchy artichoke hearts can truly take a pot of ordinary tomato soup and turn it into something worth sharing with everyone. you. know. Just put a good choke hold on it, I like to say.
Kidding. I literally never say that. But in all seriousness, I was inspired to make this recipe when I challenged myself to recreate some of the most beloved dishes in my city – Indianapolis, IN – to see if I could make it easy for people to make them at home. Because let’s be honest, it’s not always easy to get out to your favorite hot spots to get your fixes every time a craving strikes. If only that were possible … But alas, it’s not the case for most of us, so I love tackling some of my favorite restaurant menu items and recreating them at home. This soup is a perfect example of that. It was inspired by my favorite bowl at Cafe Patachou, a beloved Indy lunch/brunch spot with a few locations around town. Since it’s not open for dinner, it seemed only natural to tackle this favored soup recipe, for those cold, biting nights when nothing but tomato soup with some sort of cheese-laden bread will do.
I triple down on the tomatoes in this soup, utilizing roasted fresh tomatoes, tomato paste, AND fire-roasted canned tomatoes. By using tomatoes in three different forms, you wind up with a much more deeply flavorful, full-bodied pot of soup. It is simply worth taking the (little) extra time to do it this way. I should also point out that the addition of butter is absolutely crucial to the success of this soup. I also use butter in my pasta sauce. I am not at all concerned with authenticity here or frankly. anything other than reaching the pinnacle of deliciousness. Tomato soup, after all, is a classic go-to comfort food for so many people. And there’s nothing quite like a good pat (okay, 6 pats) of butter to skyrocket your recipe straight into the comfort-sphere. I like to nestle some obscenely cheesy crostini down into the soup; blissfully happy little life rafts bobbing futilely atop the absolute best bowls of tomato soup. If you’re going to go down, this is definitely a good way to go.
Roasted Tomato and Artichoke Soup
Ingredients
- 6 Roma tomatoes sliced into ¼”-thick rounds
- 15- oz can artichoke hearts drained
- 2 Tbsp olive oil plus more as needed
- 32- ounce box chicken stock you can sub veggie stock, if you prefer
- 1 medium red onion chopped
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 heaping Tbsp tomato paste
- 28- ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes whole or diced is fine (San Marzano, if you can find them)
- 6 Tbsp butter
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 400 Degrees F.
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Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Place the sliced Roma tomatoes and the drained artichoke hearts onto the baking sheet and drizzle them with about 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Season with a little salt and pepper and roast in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes, or until lightly browned and caramelized. Transfer to a food processor along with about 1 cup of the chicken stock (or veggie stock) and process until smooth. Set aside for now.
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In a large pot over medium heat, add 1 Tbsp of olive oil and the onion. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the dried basil, the minced garlic, and the tomato paste. Cook, stirring frequently so the garlic doesn’t burn, for about 2 minutes. This will allow the tomato paste to caramelize a bit, and will knock the canned vibes clean out of it.
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After two minutes (ish), add the canned tomatoes. If you’re using canned whole tomatoes, break them up by squeezing with your hands (fun!) or by breaking them with a wooden spoon or potato masher. Add the pureed tomato-artichoke mixture and stir everything to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Add the remaining stock, and stir to incorporate. If you like a chunkier soup, you can leave it just as it is (I often do), but you can also blend it up a bit more with a handheld immersion blender until your desired texture is achieved. Add 6 Tbsp of butter and stir to melt it into the soup. Simmer the soup with the lid on, left slightly ajar (to avoid splattered stovetops), for about 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to deepen. Serve with toasty, crusty bread, if desired.
In this post: Roasted Tomato and Artichoke Soup.
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When I was in college and roommates with your mom, I cooked artichokes occasionally. It wasn’t regular fare for most peeps in Kentucky back then, but I was raised on them in California and my great grandfather had an artichoke ranch in Half Moon Bay. Your mom gave me a book titled “She Taught Me to Eat Artichokes” year’s later to honor our friendship. One of my favorite memories…
I love love knowing this. Thank you for sharing that! <3
Mmmm this just reminds me that I don’t have artichokes often enough. And it’s interesting how you mention that the butter is what makes this dish such a success. When it comes to tomato-based dishes I have always stuck with olive oil. However, I will have to keep that in mind. Keep up the awesome work.
Yes! It seems sort of inauthentic, but I’ve had multiple Italian friends and family members tell me that their trick to getting a really rich, deeply flavorful tomato soup (or pasta sauce) is to add a very generous bit of butter to the mix. The creaminess and basic nature of the butter helps to cut and balance some of the tomato acidity – it’s a really nice trick for sure. xoxo