Super Fresh Tomato Soup

This is the tomato soup for late-summer Sundays when the garden is dropping more tomatoes than you know what to do with. No cream, no roux, no canned condensed shortcuts. Just six wedged ripe tomatoes (or two pounds of Roma) simmered with onion, celery, basil, and chicken broth until everything collapses into a fresh red puree.

The straining step is what separates this soup from a chunky stewed-tomato bowl. After the 30-minute simmer, the mixture goes through a strainer to catch the skins and seeds. The result is a smooth, jewel-bright liquid with all the concentrated tomato flavor and none of the bitter pip texture that ruins most homemade tomato soups.

A dollop of cool yogurt on top is the finishing touch and is more than garnish. The tang cuts through the natural sweetness of cooked tomatoes and the cool temperature contrast against the hot broth makes every spoonful pop. Yogurt also keeps this soup low-fat and naturally gluten-free, unlike cream-based tomato soups.

Pro Tips

• Use the ripest tomatoes you can find. The flavor of this soup lives entirely in the fresh tomatoes, since there is no cream or sugar to mask weak tomatoes.
• Press the strained tomato pulp firmly through the strainer with the back of a spoon. The pulp holds most of the body and silky texture; abandon it and you end up with thin, watery soup.
• Add the tomato paste with the fresh tomatoes for deeper, concentrated flavor. The paste is the fast-track to umami depth that bumps the soup from good to memorable.
• Stir the yogurt in with cool soup, not boiling. Yogurt curdles in extreme heat. Cool the soup slightly before garnishing if serving piping hot.

Variations

• Swap yogurt for sour cream or creme fraiche for a richer, more European finish.
• Add a finely chopped fresh basil chiffonade on top of the yogurt for a bright herb finish.
• Stir in a quarter cup of cooked rice or orzo per bowl for a more substantial soup-as-meal.