I don’t know about you but after that last post I needed a break from complicated cooking. And since the temperature keeps dropping, my soup Achilles heel weakened me once again and I felt the need to make something that required a lot of simmering and an over-sized Dutch oven.

Now as much as I love Kraft singles between sliced Wonder bread with a bowl of Campbell’s watery tomato soup, sometimes I’m craving something a little more… substantial. I love a good chunky tomato soup so it’s filling and feels like a meal, not just an appetizer or snack, and this recipe fits that bill quite nicely. The texture is thick and hearty, perfect for dipping say, French bread toasted with some Parmesan cheese sprinkled over it. Or maybe a grilled cheese with rye bread and pepperjack sandwiched between it. No matter what you pair with it, this soup is rich, satisfying, and the perfect thing to warm you up on a cold, lazy day.

And a fun note to end with! I recently won Endless Simmer’s contest for Smallest Kitchen (hooray! sort of?) and they gave me a nice little shout-out so I wanted to return the favor. Thanks, guys!

Tomato Soup

Based on the recipe from The Kitchen restaurant in Boulder, CO. Known for their sustainable farming and phenomenal Anglo-American cuisine, they’re also amazingly generous by sharing their recipes on their website so people like me can enjoy their fabulous dishes without leaving home.

Makes six 1-cup servings

Ingredients

• 2 28-ounce cans whole, peeled organic tomatoes
• 1 large or 2 small yellow onions, sliced
• 1 stick unsalted butter (originally I was going to use 1 1/3 sticks, thus there being 2 sticks pictured, but changed my mind in the middle of melting)
• high quality sea salt

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or pot over low heat. Add the onions and season generously with salt. Cook over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring every now and then. You want the onions soft and translucent, but now caramelized or brown.
2. Once the onions are cooked, add the tomatoes and break them up with the back of a spoon.  Raise the heat and simmer 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. After the soup has simmered long enough, puree in batches either in a food processor or blender. Return to the pot and bring back up to a simmer, tasting for seasoning.
4. Serve with grilled cheese (pepperjack on rye for me!) or crusty French bread.