Last year, I had a few trips to Santa Barbara/Montecito for work. For one lunch, we went to the Montecito Wine Bistro and I ordered this incredible roasted tomato soup. I haven’t stopped talking about it since.
This weekend, I discovered a beefed up version at The Sycamore in Columbus, OH (where I live). It had basil and artichokes. It was just as good as the Montecito version, but with more thangs in it. I knew I had to try to make it at home. I can’t spend $7 for a bowl of soup every day, which is what I would do if I didn’t master this on my own.
Turns out, it’s super easy/quick and anyone can do it. I was shocked that I was completely winging it, it was done in under a half hour, I barely made any dirty dishes and it tastes delicious. I’m not joking, a monkey could do this. You have to give it a try.
Ingredients:
- 1-28 oz. can of fire roasted tomatoes (or two 15 oz. will work). Crushed or diced.
- 1-14oz. can of artichokes, quartered
- 1 T. minced garlic (or more to taste)
- 1 t. onion powder (or throw onions in if you like them)
- 2 t. basil
- 1 t. butter
- Dash of Italian seasoning
- Dash of salt
- 4 T. chicken bouillon (or 4 cubes). I use Better Than Bouillon No-Chicken as vegetarian version
- 1 1/2 c. water
- 1 c. milk (I use unsweetened original almond. Use what you have.)
Instructions:
- Rinse and drain artichokes. Combine in pan with garlic, onion, basil, Italian seasoning, salt and butter. Simmer for 3-5 min.
- Add bouillon and water to pan. Continue to simmer.
- While ingredients are simmering, blend tomatoes until smooth.
- Add tomatoes and milk to simmering ingredients and cook on low-medium for 15 minutes.
Some Notes:
- I’m vegetarian, so I use Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base. I recommend it for just about everything. If you order from iHerb (which you should – they have free, expedited shipping), you can use my code for $5 or $10 off: HLC479
- I hate onions. You’ll never see a real onion in any of my recipes. But feel free to throw them in.
- I used almond milk, but use whatever you have. If you do use almond milk, make sure you don’t use vanilla. That would be disgusting.
- I’m very much a “a little of this, a little of that” person while cooking. The major ingredients have set amounts – the spices? Not so much. Taste it and add what is best for you.
- If you want to be ambitious and use fresh tomatoes, go for it. But as Sweet Brown says, “ain’t nobody got time for dat”.