I’ve never been a huge fan of tomatoes. I’ll eat them, they’re not terrible, but I would never eat tomato soup as a kid, or even as an adult, for that matter. Right after I had our 3rd baby, one of our doulas brought us some tomato soup for dinner. I didn’t want to be rude, so I ate it. And I actually liked it.
That was 3 years ago, and I have since tried many variations of tomato soups. Some have been fantastic, others not so much. My kids have always loved tomatoes, they will eat them straight out of the garden, just like an apple, so it was natural that they would like tomato soup.
We were in Sprouts recently getting a few last minute groceries. It was on a night that daddy was out of town and I had not planned anything for dinner. We grabbed a rotisserie chicken and were about to head out when we saw the vats of hot soup. The kids saw the word “tomato” on one label and the begging commenced. The ingredients weren’t terrible, but certainly didn’t pass for paleo, but I had nothing planned at home and we were creeping up on bedtime, so we grabbed a container full of tomato soup. And the kidslovedit.
Of course, now I would have to recreate the soup so they would love a homemade version without the added sugars in the grocery-store-deli version of the soup. I decided I liked it a bit more hearty, with chunks of tomato, rather than completely smooth and creamy. That’s a personal preference and you could certainly go either way with this one. Because of the naturally sweetness in the tomatoes, there’s no need to add any extra sweeteners, not even a little bit of honey. Also, the basil certainly helps.
And, I know that cheese isn’t a paleo food, but we do incorporate a little cheese every now and then. If you do too, I would highly recommend you make the tasty little Parmesan Crackers with this soup. The recipe is included at the bottom of the soup recipe and they only take 10 minutes so you can make them while the soup is simmering.
Creamy Tomato Bisque
Yield: 16
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Most commercial tomato soups have added sugars and some pretty strange ingredients. I found this out the hard way when my kids had a craving and there was nothing I was okay buying them. Naturally, I created my own recipe with ingredients I felt good feeding my own kids.
Ingredients
- 1 pound Cherry Tomatoes, halved
- 1 Yellow Onion, chopped
- 1 Bell Pepper, any color except green, chopped
- 3 Cloves Garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup Ghee
- 1/4 cup Olive Oil
- 1/2 cup Sun-Dried Tomatoes, oil, chopped
- 1 Tbsp Dried Parsley
- 1 Tbsp Dried Basil
- 1/2 Tbsp Dried Oregano
- 1 Tbsp Sea Salt
- 1 tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper
- 1/2 cup Arrowroot Starch or Tapioca Flour
- 5 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth, preferably homemade, no salt added
- 1 28-oz can Diced Tomatoes
- 1 6-oz can Tomato Paste
- 1 cup Red Wine, exclude for Whole30, add extra Chicken Broth
- 1 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
- Shredded Grass-Fed Parmesan Cheese, for primal
Instructions
- In a large stock pot, melt ghee and olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the cherry tomatoes, onion, pepper, and garlic until onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add sun-dried tomatoes, parsley, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper. Cook for about 2-3 minutes.
- Combine the arrowroot/tapioca and 1 cup of the chicken broth until smooth and there are no lumps. Pour it into the stock pot and stir to combine. The mixture will get pretty thick at this point.
- Slowly pour in the chicken broth while stirring the mixture to avoid lumps.
- Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and wine stirring to combine. Turn heat up just a bit, to medium-high, and cook until bisque thickens but does not come to a boil.
- Turn the heat back down to medium-low, add the almond milk, stirring to to combine.
- If you have an immersion blender, stick it in the pot and blend the bisque to your desired consistency. I like mine a little chunky. If you don't have an immersion blender, add the soup to a blender in batches and pulse to your desired consistency. Return the soup to the pot to keep warm.
- Serve warm with Parmesan Crackers, if desired.
Parmesan Crackers
- To make Parmesan Crackers, preheat oven to 375°F.
- Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Put a small pile of shredded Parmesan onto the prepared baking sheet and pat down so it's an even, thin layer.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until the cheese has lightly browned and is crispy. Remove and set on a wire cooling rack.
Nutrition Information
Yield 16Serving Size 1 cup
Amount Per ServingCalories 136Total Fat 9gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 9mgSodium 628mgCarbohydrates 11gFiber 2gSugar 5gProtein 4g
Nutrition is calculated by a third party and may not be 100% accurate
