Soup. It’s part of “Getting Your Veggies In 101”. Like smoothies, you can cram a ridiculous amount of vegetables into soups, and I thoroughly recommend it as a strategy for getting more veggies into your life if you find you feel better when you do that. Especially in the winter months. I find salads easy-peasy to eat in the spring and summer, but as soon as the leaves turn – yeah, not so much. Another brilliant thing about soups is their portability; oh and let’s not forget how easy it is to make an enormous batch all at once and eat it over several days, or freeze it in ready to serve portions. Soups rock. And now you make make your salad warm in the winter. I give you Tomato Salad Soup.
I don’t know about you, but I am already thinking about summer. And salads. Even though it’s mid-winter where I am. This soup got started when I had all the typical ingredients for salad lurking in the ‘fridge, but the temperature here had just turned to not-salad-eating degrees. I wondered what I could do with all the lettuce and cucumbers and tomatoes if I wasn’t going to eat them raw as salad. So I decided I would see what happened if I threw all of them together into soup. The same soup. And, in an instant, Tomato Salad Soup was born.
- 1 lb 11oz. / 760g English cucumbers, roughly chopped
- 1 1/2 lb / 670g tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 cup / 8 fl oz. chicken or clear vegetable stock
- 2 tsp salt
- 6 oz / 170g unsweetened tomato paste
- 1 small avocado
- 3 tsp dried basil
- 3 TBSP white wine
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 2 TBSP Greek yogurt (Do not use non-fat!)
- 1 large head Romaine lettuce
- Put the cucumber, tomatoes, stock and salt into a large pan or stock pot and cook for 15 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
- Working in batches, place the vegetables in a blender and blend until very smooth.
- Add the tomato paste, avocado flesh, basil, white wine, lemon juice and Greek yoghurt, and blend to mix.
- Separate the leaves of the lettuce and blend into the soup on high speed until completely smooth.
- Re-heat gently if necessary.
In the first iteration I even squirted in some mayonnaise. I do not recommend this. AT ALL. Please do not do this at home. It was not good. AT ALL. The second iteration, on the other hand, was a huge hit.
So next time you have a craving for salad in mid-winter but really want something warm – soup it up with some Tomato Salad Soup. No one will ever guess just how much green summery stuff is hidden in there.
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mazieThank’s for this recipe I will be trying it out..I just love your soups thankyou
carrieTHANK YOU, Mazie!! I am definitely a soup girl :-)
VeronicaCarrie: How long is the freezer life of soups like this?
carrieVeronica – I would use within one month, although mine never make it that long!
StephanieSounds fantastic! Can’t wait to try it!
SierraYum yum yum. This soup is sooo good and easy to make. Plus it used up the tomatoes I’ve had in the freezer from last years garden. This one is going into the family recipe binder. Thanks again Carrie!
carrieHurrah for salad soup, Sierra! Who knew lettuce could taste so good?! :-)
SierraWow Carrie, I can’t believe you respond to all these comments…on every recipe! You ROCK. I don’t know how you find the time. P.S. I love your (and Bailors) podcast :)
carrieI do my best, but don’t always manage to get to everything or everyone. Thanks for the podcast love!
Barbara in TxHi Carrie!
I LOVE your soups! I’m working through every soup recipe in your book! I’ve never ever done that with another cookbook. Wait……yes I have, your ice cream cookbook! 8-) Okay so I’d like to ask a question….do you peel your cucumbers and zuchinni? You see….some of my soups aren’t coming out the beautiful colors that your pictures show and I think it may be my added vegetable peel?
Thanks! What’s the next cookbook going to be? I just can’t wait!
Barbara
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