top of page

Heirloom Tomato Soup + Spinach Salad with Herb Vinaigrette


It's been a few weeks- I'm sorry! I've been anxious to get back to the blog and after a VERY busy couple of weeks, I am back with some good news AND a great post-thanksgiving-ate-all-the-things recipe that's a little lighter but still nice and warm just in time for the winter-is-coming weather...

During my little hiatus, besides preparing for and cooking Thanksgiving for my family- I also started a lunch business! Gray's Gourmet Lunch is everything Food Re | Evolution brought to you in lunch form. I am taking my passion to the streets (read: offices) and providing a weekly menu of daily lunch options made from local, sustainable, fresh REAL FOOD ingredients. So I wanted to blog one of my first lunches - this Heirloom Tomato Soup + Spinach Salad!

SERVING SIZE: 10 SOUPS / 1 SALAD (multiply as needed) / 1 CUP of DRESSING

PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES

COOK TIME: 1 HOUR 45 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS:

{SOUP}

2lbs heirloom tomatoes

1lb roma tomatoes

1/4 cup olive oil ( + extra for sauteing)

2 tbsp butter

2 tsp sea salt

2 tsp cracked black pepper

1 medium yellow onion (chopped)

1 large red bell pepper (chopped)

4 cloves of garlic

pinch of crushed chili flakes

1 28 ounce can of San Marzano whole tomatoes

2 cups of fresh basil

1 tsp fresh thyme

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp sherry vinegar

1/2 cup of organic heavy cream (room temperature) {*optional*}

{SALAD}

1 cup of fresh, organic spinach

1 tbsp walnuts (chopped)

1 tbsp shredded carrots

{DRESSING}

3/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/4 cup White Wine Vinegar

1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar

1 tsp fresh thyme (chopped)

1 tbsp celery leaves (chopped)

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp cracked black pepper

1/2 clove of garlic (minced)

RECIPE:

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and preheat the oven to 400. While you wait for the oven to heat up, prepare the tomatoes. Halve all of the tomatoes and using a spoon, scrape out the pulp and stem base- leaving just the thick skin layer of the tomatoes. Toss the tomato halves in a bowl with the 1/4 cup of olive oil, salt and pepper. Dump the contents out onto the baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes.

With about 10 minutes left on the tomatoes, heat about 2 tbsp of olive oil in a cast iron pot (or whatever soup pot you are using). Once the oil is hot, add the chopped onion. Cook for about 5-6 minutes on high, stirring pretty frequently to avoid burning. You want a nice golden color to start to develop without charring. Once the onions are golden, add the butter to the pan. When the butter has melted into the onions, add the red pepper. Cook the red pepper into the mixture for another 5 minutes and then add in the garlic and chili flakes and cook for another minute, stirring constantly.

When the tomatoes are done, scrape them from the baking sheet into the soup pot along with the can of tomatoes (pour in the entire can, including the juice), fresh basil and chicken broth. Bring all of this to a boil and lower the heat and simmer for an hour.

After an hour, stir in the dried herbs and the vinegar and turn off the heat. Place the pot of soup next to your blender along with a large empty bowl beside it. You are going to puree the soup in batches so you will need the bowl to pour the pureed soup into until everything has been pureed and can be transferred all back to the pot. Ladle in the soup until the blender is a little more than half full. The soup is extremely hot so do not put more than that in and ensure the top is vented to let some of the steam escape. Put a folded kitchen towel over the top (making sure to cover the vent) and start on a low setting and work your way up to puree. Puree for a few seconds until everything is silky smooth and transfer tot he bowl. Repeat until all of the soup has been pureed. Return the soup to the pot and back to the stove on simmer. Slowly pour in the cream while stirring the soup. Once the cream is fully combined, turn off the heat and taste the soup to see if any additional seasoning is necessary.

After assembling the salad, prepare the dressing (or you can make it ahead of time and store it for 5-7 days in the fridge. For the dressing, mix all the ingredients into a glass bowl and use an immersion blender to emulsify the dressing. If you don't have a handheld immersion blender, you can use a blender for the same effect.

The soup makes for great leftovers and will keep for a week in the fridge. Enjoy!


Kristen's Cooking Tips

#1 

Use sharp knives! Slicing, chopping, mincing- sharp knives cut prep time in half and are WAY safer than fighting with dull blades that barely get through the skin of a tomato. At the very least, get a knife sharpener and run the blade across it before any prep. 

​

#2

Taste EVERYTHING as you go! Cooking is about using instinct and creating flavors- you'll never learn to cook if you don't develop instincts... taste the food at every stage and follow the flavor development, adding more salt, more acid, more cream- whatever your taste buds are reaching for. 

​

#3

Mis en Place: it's french for everything in it's place. Before you start a dish, gather all of your ingredients and prep everything you need in advance. Minced garlic? mince it first and set aside. Chopped herbs? Chop away and be ready when you need them. So many people I talk to say cooking is stressful, there is "too much going on"- it's all about time management. Cooking should be relaxing and fun! Think about your favorite cooking show... notice how they always have everything they need right there? Read the whole recipe through and zoom out- while this is cooking, make this; while this is chilling, cook this. Know how to breakdown the steps and prepare your ingredients so you're not stuck with burning garlic while you're chopping cilantro. Go in with a clear mind and know you're about to fuel your body and nourish your soul with your own two hands...and a few sharp knives ;)

​

​

bottom of page