You Can Make Tomato Soup From a Can of Tomato Paste
The grilled cheese sandwich is a good quick lunch, but a little tomato soup on the side (for dipping and sipping) makes it feel like real food. There’s nothing wrong with heating Amy’s can, but I’m much more likely to have several cans of tomato paste rather than a full soup at any given time.
Difficult to beat the price-to-taste ratio of tomato paste. For about 99 cents a can, tomato paste gives you a concentrated tomato product with a deep tomato flavor. For a dollar (and sometimes less) you can buy broth. Dilute the pasta with broth and you have soup.
I have, of course, improved the process a bit. I cook the tomato paste before adding the liquid to give it a deeper and darker flavor, and finish the soup with heavy cream to give it a more sensual consistency. There is also some salt and sugar, but you can add even more seasoning if you like.
The following recipe has enough soup for one person, but you can increase it if you like. ( Save leftover pasta for pasta, rice, or Bloody Mary .) To make it, you will need:
- Half a can of tomato paste (about 5 tablespoons)
- 1 cup broth of your choice (you probably won’t use all of the broth)
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (skip if the broth is very salty)
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- Optional: garlic powder, onion powder, monosodium glutamate, white pepper, oregano, or any other herbs or spices you like; season to taste
Add the pasta to a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until it darkens and sticks to the pan. Continue to spread and scrape with a wooden spoon or flexible spatula to prevent it from burning. Once it has darkened a shade or two, add 1/2 cup of broth and beat until smooth. Add salt and sugar, then add more broth until the soup is as thick or thin as you like. Remove from heat, add a tablespoon of cream and season, if necessary. Serve with the finest grilled cheese sandwich.