Guest Post: Elevated Tomato Soup

Yay! I'm so excited to introduce you to my friend Madison! She was my very first friend in this whole blogging world and has been such an awesome influence in my life. She loves to cook and create in the kitchen, so I thought it would be fun for her to share a recipe with you! Here it is, I hope you enjoy it! 

Hi friends! I'm so excited to be sharing with you guys today! My name is Madison and I blog at The Wetherills Say I Do, a faith based lifestyle blog where I share everything from recipes to marriage to blogging tips! When Natasha asked me if I would be interested in guest posting I was all for it! Natasha has become a great blog friend over the last few months. I admire her cooking and life mottos so much!

I have always been a soup and salad kind of girl. It's the perfect lunch combo in my eyes. Personally, my favorite soup of all time is tomato soup. A lot of people may turn to that only when they are sick, but for me it's my go to always.

 

I've made the copy cat version of Panera's tomato soup, but I wanted to try something a little different. See, you probably would feel weird serving plain old tomato soup for dinner to guests, or at least I feel like I would. However, you can add a few simple ingredients and have an elevated tomato soup recipe that will make them forget about any seemingly "boring" tomato recipe they've had in the past.

 


Literally by adding two extra ingredients, you've completely changed this dish from the-soup-you-eat-when-you're-sick to a gourmet soup experience.

 

For clarification, I don't believe that food needs to be showy. Food can be simple, but elegant. Recipes should be easy to make, but have a hard-to-make kind of taste!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
5 large super-ripe tomatoes (about 4 pounds), coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon sugar
4 leaves fresh basil + 1 tablespoon chopped
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
2-3 slices of bacon
1/4 cup crumbled feta

Directions

-Warm the oil and butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and celery, and cook until soft but not browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
-Add the tomatoes (with juices), sugar, basil leaves, salt, and black pepper.
Increase the heat to high and bring the tomatoes to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes, skimming off and discarding any foam from the surface.
- While the soup is simmering, cook bacon in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Remove and place on a paper towel to remove any remaining grease, then chop into tiny pieces.
-Puree the soup in a blender or with emersion blender, in batches if necessary; then pass the puree through a medium-mesh strainer, pressing on and discarding the solids. Return the soup to the pot to keep it warm.
-Use a ladle to separate into individual bowls, top with chopped basil, feta and bacon.


I'd love for you to comment below with your favorite soup recipes and stop by my blog to see what it's all about!

BLT Orecchiette Pasta

Bacon, lettuce, and tomato. Such a classic all-American sandwich staple. To be honest I never really got into this sandwich. Anyone else out there just hunger for something more in a sandwich? It always felt a little lacking to me. But then I had a brilliant thought to create something similar in pasta form! This dish is so simple to make, and delicious! The orecchiette pasta is shaped like little cups, which scoop up the melty and flavorful ingredients perfectly. Each bite is packed with flavor. 

Aren't these colors gorgeous? It's my absolute favorite to cook with beautiful colors! It's truly an art form for me. 

We served ours with some chopped hearts of romaine and a quick homemade Caesar dressing. Simple, simple simple. Go for it and love dinner time this week. 

Serves: 4

Ingredients: 

4 slices of bacon

1 large red onion, sliced thinly

1 cup (or one small package) of baby tomatoes

two heaping cups of arugula 

1 (15 ounce) can full fat coconut milk

1 lemon

salt and pepper to taste

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound orecchiette pasta

Heat up a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add four slices of bacon and allow to sizzle on both sides until crispy. Remove and let rest on a paper towel to absorb excess grease.

Lower the heat on the same pan, adding onions and letting them caramelize slowly. I like to add a bit of salt and pepper to aid this process. When the onions start to become translucent and soft, add tomatoes. Cover the pan with a lid and allow everything to steam over medium heat for about 5-10 minutes. Add arugula and return lid to the pan, letting the arugula wilt. 

When the tomatoes start to break open on their own, you're ready for the next step. Shake the coconut milk before opening the can, then pour into the pan along with the juice from one lemon. Season with salt and pepper to taste and allow to simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes. The coconut milk will bubble and reduce into a creamy sauce. While this is simmering, chop bacon into tiny pieces and throw into the pan. 

Heat a large pot full of water and bring to a boil. Season liberally with salt and add pasta. Cook according to package time instructions. Drain pasta and combine pasta and vegetables in the large pot, along with the fresh garlic, stirring to combine all the flavors. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Simple Bruschetta

One of my absolute favorite easy meals (snack, appetizer, side dish) is bruschetta. Pronounced bru-skeh-tah. It's easy to throw together and flavorful with a bit of sweet from the tomatoes and tart from the balsamic vinegar, and a kick from raw garlic. The crunch of the bread paired with the tender tomatoes is like Heaven in your mouth. And don't you love how colorful this is? Eating colorful food always makes me feel better ;)

Serves: 2-4 

Ingredients: 

1 French baguette

5-6 roma tomatoes

1 package yellow cherry tomatoes

1 garlic clove

Olive oil

About 10 leaves of basil

Salt and pepper

Balsamic vinegar

Slice baguette in half then lengthwise with a serrated knife. Place on a grilling pan (or an outside grill if you have one!) until they show grill marks. Do this on both sides. 

Drizzle a good quality olive oil on the bread. Good olive oil is usually produced in Italy and will have a green tint to it. While the bread is grilling, chop roma tomatoes in four slices and toss in a bowl. Grab a handful of the yellow cherry tomatoes and cut in half, throwing them into the bowl as well. Mince garlic and add to the bowl along with enough olive oil to coat everything. Season generously with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Place in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes to allow all the flavors to come together.

Chiffonade some basil leaves... 

Stack. Roll. Chop. 

 ...to sprinkle over the bruschetta and top with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. 

Serve immediately and enjoy.

follow along

instagram | facebook | bloglovin'

Dad's Spaghetti Sauce + Kitchen Essentials Giveaway!

If you're just stopping by, it's Italy week at Gather Around Our Table and I'm sharing some of my favorite Italian recipes with you! Let me tell you, we had this meal for dinner a couple of nights ago and my mouth is watering just re-typing the recipe. 

A couple weeks ago a friend sent me a text with a request that I post a spaghetti sauce recipe on the blog. I haven't really attempted my own, and to be quite honest I have no reason to. 

At my dad's 80th birthday party (yup, you read that right) all his sweet friends and family stood up and read letters to him recounting all the fun they had through the years over a few beers and most importantly surrounding my dad's cooking. I can't stress enough how sought after this man is for his cooking! Requests come in from all over the country for this guy's corned beef and cabbage, baked ravioli, and of course this famous spaghetti sauce. 

You guys, the recipe's not even hard. If we were really living in Italy, maybe he would have grown his own tomatoes and canned them all then made a fresh pot of sauce. But we don't, so I'll let you in on a little secret, he cheats with the canned stuff...gasp... And it's freaking delicious. 

I wouldn't lie to you. The old man has paid good money to ship this sauce all frozen up in packages to family across the country. It's crazy talk. Okay, here's the recipe before you faint in anticipation. 

This recipe makes a huge batch, enough to serve 12, so invite your entire family like a good Italian or just freeze the rest for future meals. It makes a great go-to dinner in a pinch.

Ingredients:

Olive oil 

1 medium white onion, diced

5 cloves of garlic, minced

Small box of sliced mushrooms

1 pound  ground beef

1 pound mild italian pork sausage 

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 (28 ounce) can tomato purée 

1 (15 ounce) can diced whole tomatoes

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

1/4 bottle of Chianti wine (Ruffino is a good brand)

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon basil

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon sugar

Pour a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot, set to medium low heat. Add onion, garlic and sliced mushrooms and sauté until soft.

Add ground beef to the same pot, breaking into small pieces with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Remove pork sausage from the casing and chop into 1 inch pieces. Add chili powder, stirring to combine with everything, and continue to cook until browned.  

Pour in tomato purée, chopped tomatoes and tomato paste.

Take 1/4 of a bottle of good Chianti wine and use it to wash out the remaining tomato purée from the can. Add to the mix.

If using fresh herbs, rinse and dry them, remove the leaves from stems and chop them up finely. Add to the sauce. If you are using dried herbs, rub between your hands to bring out the flavors of the spices before placing in the sauce.

Add the sugar and salt and pepper to taste, and bring heat to a medium simmer. Check to make sure the heat is not too high so the sauce wont scorch. Continue simmering for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally. 

Check for taste and add seasonings as desired. 

We served ours over a bed of spaghetti squash, but this sauce is delicious over your favorite pasta, in a baked lasagna dish, with ravioli and sopped up by warm french bread. 

Giveaway time! I'm a brand new contributor for My Cooking Spot, along with some other amazing women. We all got together and wanted to share our love for cooking by giving away a 51-piece Kitchen Gadget Set! 

I am so honored and excited to be sharing recipes with them each month. Hop on over to MCS for my twist on teriyaki chicken legs and don't forget to enter below for these kitchen essentials. 

Below are the contributors who helped put this giveaway together. Check out their inspiring blogs and see all the amazing recipes these ladies have to share.

Contributors - Clockwise

Jana: Life Could Be a Dream Blog - Rachel: Oh Simple Thoughts - Marcella: Marcella Roses

Erin: My Cooking Spot - Natasha: Gather Around Our Table - Madison: Wetherill Say I Do

Jen: Jen's Favorite Cookies - Nathalia: Creatively Conscious - Meme: Meme Inge - Erin: The Speckled Palate

a Rafflecopter giveaway