Easy Creamy Tomato Soup

By the Gracious Vegan

Goodbye, Campbell’s! This recipe is no copycat. It soars beyond the canned brands. The cashews give it creaminess without overwhelming the tomatoes. Once you’ve made this, you’ll never want to go back.

Makes 6 servings (about 110 calories per serving)

Quick-soak the cashews. Pour boiling water over them, cover, and let them soak while you make the rest of the soup.

• 1/2 cup raw cashews (whole or pieces)

Separately, water-sauté these ingredients (start with 1/4 cup water) in a Dutch oven until soft, 5 minutes or more. (What is water-sauté?)

• 2 cloves garlic, chopped

• 1/2 medium onion, chopped

• 1 teaspoon dried basil, oregano or Italian seasoning

• 1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

• Fresh ground black pepper

Add the next ingredients to the pot, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and boil gently, covered, for 10 minutes or until tomatoes are very soft. Remove from heat.

• 1 can (28 oz.) crushed or whole tomatoes

• 2 ounces (1/4 cup) tomato paste

• 2.5 cup vegetable broth or water

Now drain the cashews and place them in a blender with water.

• 1/2 cup water

Blend on high for 30 seconds to 5 minutes until very smooth.

If your blender is big enough for you to add the tomato mixture into the cashew mixture, do that and blend on low-medium until you achieve your desired smoothness. If your blender isn’t big enough, add the cashew cream to the soup and blend in the pot with an immersion blender.

Check seasonings and serve.

Timing: Total time around 25 minutes (about 20 minutes hands-on time)

Gluten-free