🌿 Garden Tomato Tip
Fresh garden tomatoes contain considerably more liquid than canned tomatoes.
If your tomatoes are especially juicy, start with only 1 cup of broth.
As the tomatoes cook, they will release plenty of their own liquid. After blending, additional broth can always be added if you prefer a thinner soup.
And there's no need to peel the tomatoes first. Once everything has cooked down and is thoroughly blended, the skins are usually barely noticeable.
For an especially silky soup, the finished soup can be passed through a fine-mesh strainer after blending—but this is completely optional.
From the Garden to the Kitchen
The Recipe
Late summer means tomatoes—sometimes more tomatoes than I know what to do with.
After spending months waiting for the first ones to ripen, suddenly the kitchen counter starts filling up faster than we can eat them. This Crock-Pot Fresh Tomato Soup is an easy way to turn a few pounds of garden tomatoes into something completely different.
I especially love that there isn't much work involved. Everything goes into the slow cooker and simmers for the day before being blended into a smooth, creamy soup.
No peeling tomatoes. No complicated steps. Just a simple way to use what the garden gives us.
Serve it with grilled cheese, croutons, crusty bread or a simple salad for an easy meal as summer begins making its way toward fall.
Ingredients
8 medium fresh tomatoes, quarteredÂ
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic
1–2 tablespoons olive oil
1–2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried basil OR a generous handful of fresh basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon brown sugar or honey, optional
½–1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
Add the quartered tomatoes, onion, garlic, olive oil, broth, salt, pepper, basil and oregano to the slow cooker.
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Cover and cook on LOW for 6–8 hours or HIGH for 3–4 hours, until the tomatoes and onions are very soft.
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Using an immersion blender, carefully blend the soup directly in the slow cooker until smooth.
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Stir in the butter and ½ cup heavy cream.
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For a richer, creamier soup, gradually add additional heavy cream until it reaches your desired consistency.
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Taste the soup before adding any sweetener. Garden tomatoes can naturally be quite sweet. If the soup tastes too acidic, stir in a small amount of brown sugar or honey until the flavor is balanced.
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Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
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Serve warm with fresh basil, a drizzle of cream and freshly ground black pepper if desired.
Garden Harvest • Soup • Slow Cooker
 Fresh Garden Tomato Soup
Prep: 15 MinutesCook: 6–8 HoursServes: Approximately 6
Make It Your Own
More Basil: Add extra fresh basil just before blending.
A Little Heat: Add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes.
Roasted Flavor: Roast the tomatoes, onion and garlic before adding them to the slow cooker.
Extra Creamy: Use the full cup of heavy cream.
Keep It Lighter: Reduce the cream or leave it out entirely for a simple fresh tomato soup.
What to Serve With It
Classic grilled cheese
Crusty sourdough bread
Garlic bread
Fresh garden salad
Turkey or chicken sandwich
From My Kitchen
One of my favorite parts of growing food is figuring out what to do when everything seems to ripen at once. Recipes like this don't require perfect tomatoes—or a perfect garden. They're simply another way to enjoy what we've managed to grow and make the most of the harvest while it's here.