This Soup Is Delicious and Dairy-Free

Sun-dried tomatoes add a lovely depth of tomato flavor. Yvonne Duivenvoorden/TCA

Here’s a favorite recipe that holds a significant taste memory to me. My grandmother picked me up from nursery school on a rainy day and took me back to her house, where she had a bowl of cream of tomato soup and an egg salad sandwich waiting for me.

This take on that taste memory includes white beans in the soup, giving this rustic dish an added creamy texture and thickened consistency without the addition of dairy. The mix of tomatoes include canned fire-roasted tomato sauce, canned peeled tomatoes, and sun-dried tomatoes. Make sure to use the bottled sun-dried tomatoes in oil for this recipe.

For Seriously Simple cooking, use a hand blender to puree the soup right in the pot; a blender will puree the soup into a smoother texture. Use either a good quality chicken or vegetable stock here.

Feel free to improvise and add some fresh herbs like thyme or basil or a finish with a garnish of crispy croutons. If you like dairy, a shaving of fresh Parmesan cheese or thin slices of fresh goat cheese can be a tasty topping to the soup just before serving.

The soup can have a high acid flavor, which is why I add sugar and balsamic vinegar, to taste, which will mellow out the acid. If you like a creamier soup and are missing the dairy, you can add a touch of milk or garnish with sour cream.

Double Tomato White Bean Soup

Serves 6

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
• 1 rib celery, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can (14 1/2 ounce) fire-roasted (or plain) tomato sauce
• 1 can (28 ounce) peeled tomatoes with juice
• 1/2 cup julienned sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
• 1 (15 1/2 ounce) can white beans (Great Northern or cannellini), drained
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, or to taste
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Optional garnish:

• Extra sun-dried tomatoes, drained
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• Parmesan or goat cheese
• Croutons

In a medium soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery; cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until the vegetables begin to soften. Add garlic and cook for a minute or until slightly softened. Be careful not to burn it.

Add tomato sauce, tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, white beans, and stock; bring to a simmer on medium-high heat.

Partially cover the pan, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or until the tomatoes and beans are cooked and all the flavors are well blended. Remove from heat.

Blend soup with a hand blender until it is pureed. (You could also put this in the blender and the soup will be smoother.) Add sugar, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste; return soup to medium heat and cook for 2 minutes. Taste for seasoning.

Ladle soup into soup bowls and garnish with optional sour cream, sun-dried tomatoes, cheese, or croutons.

Advance preparation: This may be made through Step 3 up to two days ahead, covered and refrigerated. Reheat gently and season to taste. If it thickens, add more broth and reheat until you reach the desired consistency.

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