Idaho Heirloom Tomato Basil Soup
- Prep: 2 hrs 30 mins
- Cook: 1 hr 10 mins
- Serves: 22
- Yield: about 11 cups sauce (6 pints)
Idaho Preferred’s 2021 Field to Fork Recipe Contest Winner, submitted by Georgia White.
This versatile soup is a celebration of the bountiful harvest of Idaho grown heirloom tomatoes. The combination of vine-ripened, juicy tomatoes with fragrant basil and aromatic herbs creates a deliciously satisfying and comforting soup that is sure to warm your heart and your taste buds. Whether enjoyed on a cool autumn evening or as a refreshing summer lunch, Idaho heirloom tomato basil soup is a must-try recipe that will delight your senses.
Ingredients
12 pounds ripe tomatoes (about 25 tomatoes), peeled *
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons kosher salt or 4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves, chopped *
¼ c dried crushed peppers *
2 Cloves of crushed garlic *
1 cup lightly packed assorted fresh herbs (such as oregano, and parsley chopped) *
6 tablespoons lemon juice
*Locally grown
Featured Idaho Produce
Steps
Cut peeled tomatoes into chunks and add some of the chunks to the food processor. Cover and process until chopped. Transfer chopped tomatoes to a 7- to 8-quart pot. Repeat chopping remaining tomatoes, in batches, in the food processor. Add all tomatoes to the pot.
Add brown sugar, salt, vinegar, and black pepper, crushed dried pepper and chopped garlic to the tomato mixture. Bring to boiling. Boil steadily, uncovered, for 70 to 80 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mixture is reduced to about 11 cups and is desired sauce consistency. Remove from heat; stir in herbs.
Spoon 1 tablespoon lemon juice into each of six hot, clean pint canning jars. Ladle sauce into jars with lemon juice, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe the jar rims; adjust lids. Process filled jars in a boiling-water canner for 35 minutes (start time when water returns to a full boil). Remove jars, cool on wire rack.
