Tomato Soup is not Only for Winter

AAh. Summer days. Lighter food. Outdoor cooking. And while you might think that soup is only a winter dish, think again. In fact, a cold, frosty soup as the start of a meal is a summer party waiting to happen. This Chilled Healthy Tomato and Yogurt Soup served in a cold mug makes a great accompaniment to outdoor appetizers like bruschetta, guacamole, spinach dip, baba ganoush or hummus.

Easy to Make with Things in your Pantry

With only a few ingredients and a simple preparation, this make-ahead soup will leave you plenty of time to take the kids to the pool, drive them home from camp or just enjoy the lazy days of summer. Although it’s really simple to make, it looks so fancy when garnished with some fresh herbs and a swirl of yogurt. Make a summer dinner interesting and healthy without a lot of time and effort.

Serve it as an Appetizer or make it a Meal

If you want to make this Chilled Healthy Tomato and Yogurt Soup an entire meal, serve it with a large salad (Caesar would be nice) and a loaf of French bread with some Brie and fig jam.

With a bounty of summer tomatoes about to arrive, making this soup with fresh tomatoes (which don’t need to be peeled because they will be whizzed up in the blender or Vitamix) is ideal. But don’t fret if you can’t find really ripe tomatoes because canned tomatoes will work just fine.

Secret Ingredients make the Tomato Flavor Pop

One tip for you when cooking with tomatoes. I almost always add a couple of carrots and a bit of honey when I cook with tomatoes to cut the acidity and smooth out the taste with a little sweetness. It’s up to you but I like the balance of flavors when the tomatoes and herbs are complemented with a bit of sweetness.

Adding the whole peel of one orange (definitely a secret ingredient) enhances the flavor of the tomatoes and gives the cold soup a freshness that only citrus can provide!

And another tip…when sauteeing onions, once you put them into the pan with the hot oil, let them heat for about a minute and then add 1-2 tablespoons of water. Then let them saute over medium-high heat and they will soften and become translucent without burning or browning too much. Works every time!

I hope you like cold soup as much as I do. While I haven’t made this in the winter, there is no law against doing so! Feel all the summer vibes with this one and please let me know how everyone likes it!

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Chilled Healthy Tomato and Yogurt Soup

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion chopped
3 carrots peeled and cut into a large dice
4 cups diced and seeded fresh or canned tomatoes diced and not drained
2 tablespoons honey
4 cups vegetable stock
15 sprigs each of thyme and tarragon divided
Peel of one orange in one large piece
2 cups plain nonfat Greek yogurt plus additional for garnish
1 teaspoon salt
Basil for garnish

Instructions

In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute the chopped onion and the carrots until the onion is translucent. Add the tomatoes (no need to peel them if you are using fresh), honey, vegetable stock, half of the herbs, tied together with kitchen twine and the orange peel.
Cook the tomatoes in the stock for 20 minutes over medium heat. Set the pot aside to cool completely. Remove the herbs and orange peel when the soup is cool and discard.
When the mixture is cool, ladle 2 cups of it into a blender or Vitamix. Add 1 cup of yogurt and blend the mixture until it is completely smooth. Pour the blended mixture into a storage container and repeat the process with the remaining tomatoes, yogurt and the salt. Add the leaves of the remaining fresh herbs, finely chopped, reserving just a few for garnishing the bowls.
Place the storage container in the refrigerator overnight so the flavors will blend. Pour the tomato yogurt soup into individual bowls or mugs, garnishing them with the remaining herbs and a swirl of yogurt.

Recipe Notes

This soup can be made with fresh or canned tomatoes. If using fresh tomatoes there is no need to peel them but they should be seeded to avoid bitterness.

You can substitute basil and rosemary for the thyme and tarragon or you can use any combination of those fresh herbs.

The soup can be made two days ahead. Just make sure to stir it well and taste for salt before serving and garnish with thinly sliced basil, thyme leaves or minced tarragon.