I first fell in love with tomato basil soup at a certain French café chain restaurant, where it was thick, rich and ridiculously decadent. I learned to whip up a pretty good copycat at home, but over time, I started to feel rather guilty about the pint (475 ml) of cream and pound (450 g) of butter involved. So I decided to see if I could replicate my beloved recipe while lightening things up! This version replaces heavy cream with full-fat Greek yogurt for a rich flavor and silky texture with significantly reduced fat. Even my initially skeptical husband was sold on it after he tasted that first bite! Just be sure to temper the Greek yogurt before adding it to the hot soup, as it may curdle otherwise. Even if you forget that step, an additional spin with the immersion blender should smooth things out just fine. Finally, since canned tomatoes can vary in their sweetness and acidity, a bit of butter melted at the end of this recipe mellows out any lingering acidity. But if all else fails, adding ½ teaspoon sugar at a time (tasting at each interval, so as not to end up with overly sweet soup) should do the trick.
YIELD: 6 TO 8 SERVINGS
3 (14.5-oz [411-g]) cans crushed tomatoes
2 cups (480 ml) low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
2 tbsp (30 ml) honey
½ cup (20 g) packed fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped, plus more for serving
½ tsp salt, plus more to taste
1 cup (227 g) full-fat Greek yogurt
2 tbsp (28 g) butter
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Combine the crushed tomatoes, chicken or vegetable broth, honey, basil and salt in a large slow cooker. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.
Use an immersion blender to purée the soup until completely smooth. Measure the Greek yogurt into a medium bowl and temper it to prevent curdling by adding a small amount of hot soup to the bowl while continuously stirring the yogurt. Repeat this process several times to gradually bring up the temperature of the yogurt. Once the yogurt is warm, stir the mixture back into the soup. Add the butter. Season the soup with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Cover the slow cooker and cook for 15 minutes, until heated through. Stir the soup well and serve garnished with chopped fresh basil.