Summer tomatoes are starting to come in, and tomato lovers are all rejoicing! There is NOTHING better than the first bite of summer’s bountiful tomato harvest.
In addition to tomato + mayo sandwiches, BLTs for days, fresh gazpacho, and diced or sliced tomatoes on every single dish, there needs to be an additional recipe in your summer arsenal of last-minute deliciousness. This, my friends, is just that recipe. I call it Not-Quite Tomato Soup.
Recipe: Not-Quite Tomato Soup
The serving amount for this recipe depends greatly on how big your saucepan is. For me, I use a 10.5-inch Caraway ceramic skillet. I use heirloom tomatoes, and I typically can fit five medium-sized tomatoes into my skillet. And, if you are growing basil in your garden, basil makes a great addition to this recipe — but don’t shy away from adding dill or cilantro instead. Or, just serve this without any herbs at all if you’d rather! Serve this soup with French bread or over rice or riced cauliflower. It’s soooooooooo good. When you make this one time, you are destined to make it over and over again.
SB TIP: Do not use a cast-iron skillet for this recipe. Acidic foods like tomatoes can break down the seasoning of a cast-iron skillet. And, for skillets not well-seasoned, your food can end up picking up a metallic flavor.
Scroll down for photos that walk you through each step of this very easy, incredibly tasty summer recipe!
Not-Quite Tomato Soup
Equipment
- 10 inch skillet
Ingredients
- 5 medium-sized tomatoes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 oz shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 tsp Maldon sea salt flakes
- 1 loaf French baguette
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 8 fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Core and slice tomatoes. I prefer to cut tomatoes in half, top to bottom, and then cut each half into six slices, again top to bottom.
- Heat olive oil in skillet for about a minute over medium heat. Add tomatoes peel side down.
- Sprinkle tomatoes with salt.
- After tomatoes come to a simmer and have cooked for a couple of minutes, add cheese evenly across the top.
- Cook 2-3 more minutes.
- Slice basil into slivers and add across the top of the cheesy tomatoes.
- Ladle into bowls and serve with a large piece of French baguette or crackers.
Choose five heirloom tomatoes that are approximately the same size.
Core each tomato.
Slice each tomato in half, as seen here, and then each half into six pieces.
Arrange tomatoes in a skillet, skins down. They can be really close together. Add salt.
Once the tomatoes start to cook down and look like this, it’s time to add the cheddar cheese!
Let the cheese melt for a few minutes and add basil. It’s ready to eat!
Scoop the tomato mixture into individual bowls and serve with French bread or crackers. You can also serve this over rice or riced cauliflower.
And, here is a quick Instagram Reel to show you in 30 seconds how to make this!
View this post on Instagram
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