Triple tomato soup packs the most tomato flavor into a simple dishWhole canned tomatoes, tomato paste and sun-dried tomatoes give this soup triple the tomatoes, triple the fun.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2024/12/01/triple-tomato-soup-easy-fast/
Inspiration is a funny thing — elusive when you need it, forthcoming when you don’t, inevitably at inconvenient hours. The idea for this Triple Tomato Soup came to me while I was (a) on vacation and studiously trying (and failing) to avoid anything work-related, and (b) studiously trying (and failing) to fall asleep.
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Once the notion surfaced, I gave up attempting to force it back down and let my brain jump ahead to how I might want to make it. I knew I liked my tomato soup with a bit of a kick, so crushed red pepper flakes and fennel seeds (their pop of licorice flavor captures the essence of Italian sausage, which I love to pair with tomato-y dishes such as lasagna) were a must. Could I use an entire can of whole, peeled tomatoes, including the juices, for easy pantry planning? Yup. Should I find yet another excuse to pull out the tube of umami-rich tomato paste I always have in the fridge? You bet.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/triple-tomato-soup/Yet the inkling that I was most excited about was using sun-dried tomatoes — an entire jar of them. And thus was born the trifecta of the Triple Tomato Soup. (Yes, I do have a thing for groups of three, and if you’re wondering, this soup would be fantastic paired with my Triple Garlic Bread, followed by my Triple Hot Chocolate for dessert. Focaccia and grilled cheese would also be awesome.)
I know some people are more than happy to dismiss sun-dried tomatoes as a passing fad of the ’90s (you may have heard, the ’90s are back, baby!), but I’ve always loved these sweet, tart gems that, like tomato paste, are loaded with glutamates, a family of chemicals primarily responsibly for creating the umami sensation of full savory flavor.
Triple Tomato Soup uses an entire jar of oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, plus most of the oil. (Rey Lopez for The Washington Post; food styling by Carolyn Robb for The Washington Post )
I also know that, like me, our readers tend to already have too many half-empty containers of condiments and preserved this or that cluttering their fridge — and are, understandably, reluctant to purchase one more to add to the collection. So I decided to go all-in on the sun-dried tomatoes, tipping in the entire jar, along with most of the oil, preferably olive, they’re packed in.
It turned out even better than I expected. In this soup, rather than loudly announcing their presence, the sun-dried tomatoes melt into the background, a shortcut to low- and slow-cooked flavor in a fraction of the time. (From start to finish, this soup is on the table in 40 minutes.) They occupy an ideal middle ground between the concentrated essence of the tomato paste and the bright, tart perkiness of the canned tomatoes. They also lend an appealing brick-red hue that radiates comfort — one that, if you choose, you can easily stash away in the freezer for on-demand meals on cold winter days. With a yield of about 7 cups, it’s an easy recipe to split down the middle to enjoy some now and more later.
The rest of the soup is what you most likely expect. After you sauté an onion in some of the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes, add in the garlic, tomato paste, oregano and fennel seeds, and cook them until just fragrant. (Feel free to use your favorite dried herbs or skip the fennel seeds.) The tomato paste will turn enticingly dark, too. Once the sun-dried tomatoes, whole tomatoes and broth are added, it’s just about 20 minutes of simmering to bring it all together. Puree with an immersion or jar blender, season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with a bright pop of basil, and let out a deep sigh of satisfaction. It’s a hearty bowl to restore you and just maybe give you that extra oomph to inspire your next great idea — or meal.
"No Soup For You!" | The Soup Nazi | Seinfeld
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