Soup weather is upon us and that’s cause for a new homemade (spicy) tomato soup recipe. Everyone has their go-to recipe for this childhood classic but sometimes it’s fun to spice it up a little. Today, we literally mean “spice” it up with the addition of some fresh and dried jalapeño peppers. Yes, we said dried jalapeños! We found these babies at World Market in their clearance section; don’t judge us because seriously they have some of the rarest and best ingredients on the block. It’s my new favorite hidden secret that I’m sharing with the world.
Growing up, we had the typical canned tomato soup which has upgraded now to microwaveable cups (bleh) but that’s just not going to cut it anymore. While this recipe is going to take just a little bit longer than the aforementioned soup in a can, it’s absolutely work the time. That being said, soup always taste better the next day so this is something you can prepare, store and then re-heat the next day. Especially with the addition of all these yummy roasted flavors, that flavor is just going to enhance the longer it sits in there.
While we did toss in some of those helpful dried jalapeños, we also roasted some fresh jalapeños because nothing is better than real deal. The best thing about using a cast iron pan is that you can cook them on the stove for a bit and then throw them in the oven while still in the pan. Just don’t forget to use a pot holder because nobody wants a burnt hand. Plus, when you roast these puppies, they will release even more flavor to add to your tasty soup.
Speaking of roasted veggies, can we talk about how pretty these tomatoes are? Not only did The Beard slice them in perfectly even pieces, they came out of the oven looking absolutely gorgeous. I’m going to let you in a little secret though, I mostly hate tomatoes. Don’t even get me started on ketchup. It’s gross. But, I absolutely love creamy tomato soup. Don’t try to understand my logic, it makes no sense to me either.
The word “deglaze” can seem intimidating but don’t worry it’s basically just a fancy term for adding wine to your pan to loosen up the onions and such off the bottom of the pan. Totally not scary and you get to drink the leftover wine which is basically a win-win for everyone. Once you have all your ingredients prepped, roasted and deglazed, you’ll be ready to pop them in your dutch oven and go to town letting them get all yummy and flavorful.
But, you can’t forget the best part of homemade tomato soup — the grilled cheese! While you can get all fancy and go to Whole Foods and spend $60 on ingredients for a sandwich (aka our second date) you can also just go super classic with some sliced bread and your favorite cheddar. I recommend the latter if you aren’t trying to impress a bearded coworker. Toss in some homemade croutons and green onions for good measure (and because they photograph beautifully) and voila, you’ve got yourself a pretty flawless dinner for two.
- 3 lbs roma tomatoes, quartered
- 1 Tablespoon dried basil
- 1 large white onion, diced
- 3-4 jalapeños
- 1 head of garlic
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1 cup water
- 1 Tablespoon dried jalapeños
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
- 2 cups diced bread
- 2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. While oven is preheating, quarter tomatoes and place on sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, dried basil and pepper. Set aside.
- Cut top off head of garlic and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap in foil.
- Bake garlic and tomatoes for 45-60 minutes, depending on size of tomato and type of oven.
- While tomatoes and garlic are cooking, prepare the jalapeños. Cut in half, remove seeds and place on baking sheet or in cast iron pan.
- Once you remove tomatoes from oven, turn on the broiler. Let jalapeños broil for 8-12 minutes until they look charred and roasted.
- Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes then remove skin and set aside.
- Grab your dutch oven and melt butter over medium heat. Add diced onion and cook until onions are a bit browned, about 4-6 minutes. Stir occasionally so they don't stick.
- Add red wine to deglaze the pan before adding your other ingredients. While adding tomatoes, push through a strainer as to not get any seeds or skins in your soup. Then, add jalapeños and roasted garlic.
- Add milk, water and dried jalapeños then stir and let simmer, uncovered for about 20 minutes.
- Add salt, pepper and dried basil to taste.
- Serve with homemade croutons and a side of grilled cheese.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Dice up pieces of bread into bite-size pieces.
- Toss bread in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add to baking sheet and place in oven for 10-12 minutes, watching carefully so they don't burn.
- Remove from oven and toss in your soup. Keep cooled croutons in ziplock bag for 3-5 days.
- If you can't find dried jalapeños, you can substitute red pepper flakes.
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