The Piedmont Fayette Hospital near Atlanta is a modern, well-managed facility with top-notch doctors, nurses, and support personnel. The patient care is definitely a cut above. So, you can imagine my surprise when I recently discovered what I consider the most heinous food crime of this century – their cream of tomato soup. This vile substance is served every day – whether patients want it or not - and doesn’t taste or look like real tomato soup at all. In fact, if given the choice between this soup and toxic waste, I would choose the toxic waste every time.

Good cream of tomato soup isn’t difficult to make. And it can be made quickly, especially if Basic Cream Soup Mix is in the pantry. This version, which uses fresh tomatoes from the garden, is delicious, and can be flavored and/or garnished with fresh herbs from the garden. As you can see, this version is not brightly colored with commercial food dye; if you want yours a bit brighter red, you can add a sweet red bell pepper along with the tomatoes.

Hopefully, you’ll not have a reason to sample the patient version of tomato soup at Piedmont Fayette Hospital, and will want to take the 15-20 minutes to make the following version of proper Cream of Tomato Soup. Make sure you serve it with grilled cheese sandwiches made with good bread (spreading the outside of the bread with mayo instead of butter gives it an extra crisp crust) and of course good cheese. This will be comfort food at its finest.

6 Servings

2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 1/2 to 2 pounds fresh tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped

4 cups water
1 cup Basic Cream Soup Mix

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Heat the butter in a large saucepan.
2. Add the onions and sauté until softened.
3. Stir in the tomatoes and let cook, stirring often, until very soft.
4. Whisk in the water and cream soup mix; bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
5. Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth.
6. Pour the mixture through a fine strainer into the saucepan.
7. Bring to a boil, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

Note: if the soup is too thick, add additional water.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 177 Calories from Fat 88
Percent Total Calories From: Fat 49% Protein 14% Carb. 37%

Nutrient Amount per Serving
Total Fat 10 g
Saturated Fat 6 g
Cholesterol 27 mg
Sodium 258 mg
Total Carbohydrate 16 g
Dietary Fiber 1 g
Sugars 0 g
Protein 6 g

Vitamin A 17% Vitamin C 51% Calcium 0% Iron 3%