Tomato Basil Soup with Asiago & Bacon

My delicious recipe for Tomato Basil Soup with Asiago & Bacon will take the average Tomato soup to an entirely new level of delicious warmth in your belly in these cold winter months combining San Marzano tomatoes, with crisp quality bacon, a rich delicate soft Asiago cheese, and fresh basil.

There’s nothing like wonderful Tomato Basil Soup with Asiago & Bacon with a delightful Asiago cheese and bacon Panini for lunch or even a light dinner. The smell is pure deliciousness and fresh wafting through your home on a dreary cold winter day.

The first recipe for a Tomato Soup has been credited to Maria Parloa, whose 1872 book The Appledore Cook Book describes her tomato chowder. In 1897, the famous Campbell’s soup mogul Joseph Campbell came out with condensed tomato soup, a brilliant idea that set the Campbell’s Soup company on the road to vast wealth.

Did you know that Most food historians think the history of soup is probably as old as the history of cooking? The idea of combining different ingredients in a large soup pot to create a healthy, delicious, filling, meal made it the perfect choice for all cultures, rich and poor alike.

Soup, stews, pottages, porridges, gruels, have evolved according to local ingredients and tastes. New England chowder, Spanish gazpacho, Russian borscht, Italian minestrone, French onion, Chinese wonton and Campbell’s tomato are all variations using the same idea they had many centuries ago.

What is the difference between soup and stew?

On a basic level, there is no real difference. Like the ancient pottage, both soup and stew descend from inexpensive, easy, versatile, forgiving,  locally grown ingredients. Modern American foodies, however, separate soup from stew quite simply. The separation is not in the ingredients or method, but which course it is served. Soup is considered a starter; while the stew is served as a main course.

Soup, in some contexts, became regarded as haute cuisine examples are consomme, vichyssoise. Soup can be served as the first course on a classic menu paired with a sandwich or salad and dessert. Soup can be served hot or cold, an example of cold soup would be gazpacho soup.

Stew is frequently made using larger pieces of meats and vegetables, and served as a warm main course. Slow cooking tough cuts of meat till they are soft and delicious. Most stews are made by slow cooking with minimal moisture. Stew examples are  Brunswick Stew, Kentucky Burgoo & Booya.

Over the years, I have had the pleasure of trying many Tomato Basil kinds of soup that I have enjoyed– there always seemed to be just that moderate level of enjoyment. So, of course, I set out to make it a major level of enjoyment for our family playing around with several different ideas and settling on this combination.

Below you will find my recipe for Tomato Basil Soup with Asiago & Bacon along with simple to follow instructions to make your own bowl of comforting warmth that will bring a smile to any Tomato and Basil soup lover.

A few facts on Tomato Soup

1. Tomato soup is a soup made with tomatoes as the primary ingredient–That’s a pretty obvious fact to all of us, isn’t it?
2. Tomato soup is served hot or cold in a bowl, and may be made in many ways, such as smooth in texture, or include chunks of tomato, cream, and chicken or vegetable stock.
3.  In the past, the popular garnishes and or toppings for tomato soup have included croutons, sour cream, and oyster crackers.
4. Tomato soup has been noted to be one of the top comfort foods in Poland and the United States.
5. The first documented tomato soup recipe was made by Maria Parloa in 1872, and Joseph A. Campbell’s recipe for condensed tomato soup in 1897 further increased its ever-growing popularity.

Ingredients list for Tomato Basil Soup with Asiago & Bacon

• 2 tablespoons of quality olive oil
• 2 sweet onions, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 1/2 cup of diced celery
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-28-ounce can of organic crushed San Marzano tomatoes
• 4 cups good-quality vegetable stock
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 cup of heavy cream
• 1 bunch basil, torn into small pieces
• 8 slices of quality crisp bacon, roughly chopped
• 1 cup of grated Asiago cheese
• 6 extra basil leaves, for garnish, optional

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Tomato Basil Soup with Asiago & Bacon

Prep Time

25 mins

Cook Time

45 mins

Total Time

1 hr 10 mins

 

Tomato Basil Soup with Asiago & Bacon will take the average Tomato soup to an entirely new level of delicious warmth in your belly in these cold winter months combining San Marzano tomatoes, with crisp quality bacon, a rich delicate soft Asiago cheese, and fresh basil.

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: bacon, Basil, Soup, tomato

Servings: 6

Author: hmccallum

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons Quality olive oil
• 2 medium Sweet onions, chopped
• 2 medium Carrots, diced
• 1/2 cup Diced celery
• 4 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1-28- ounce can Organic crushed San Marzano tomatoes
• 4 cups Vegetable Stock
• Kosher salt to own taste
• Ground black pepper to own taste
• 1 cup Heavy cream warmed
• 1 bunch Basil (about 8 leaves) torn
• 8 slices Quality crisp bacon, roughly chopped
• 1 cup Grated Asiago cheese
• Extra Basil for garnish optional

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven. Once hot, add 2 chopped Vidalia onions, 2 medium carrots, 1/2 of a cup of diced celery, season generously with Kosher salt. Cook the vegetables, stirring occasionally, about 8-10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute, stirring to avoid over browning or burning the garlic.
2. Stir in the 28-ounce can of crushed organic tomatoes and 4 cups of vegetable stock. Season with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste. Bring the soup to a good simmer, then lower the heat just enough to maintain a low simmer for at least 12-15 minutes.
3. Purée the vegetable mixture using a blender or immersion blender if available– I have used both without problems. If using a blender, return mixture to the pot.
4. Stir in the heavy cream, and the basil. Let simmer for at least 20 minutes to thicken.
5. Serve immediately, garnished with crisp bacon, freshly grated Asiago cheese, a chiffonade of basil, last but not least a bit of black pepper if desired.