As a kid the one thing that could cure anything is my grandma’s homemade tomato basil soup. 

The best part of it is sometimes we ate the soup from coffee mugs, an unorthodox approach to soup eating. 

The recipe comes from the August 2003 edition of the Midwest Living magazines, titled Summertime Tomato Basil Soup. 

2 tablespoons butter 

1 medium onion, finely chopped (½ cup) 

1 clove of garlic, minced 

1 pound ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and quartered (3 medium), or one 14 ½  – ounce can diced tomatoes (undrained) 

2 ½ cups tomato juice 

1 bay leaf 

½ of an 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened 

⅛ teaspoon salt*

⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

¼ cup snipped fresh basil 

The Midwest Living Magazine then goes through the process of making the soup. 

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and the garlic, cook till the onion is tender, but not brown. Add tomatoes, tomato juice and bay leaf. 

Bring to boiling and reduce the heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Remove bay leaf and discard. 

In a food processor bowl or blender container, place half of the tomato mixture. Cover and process or blend till smooth. Repeat with the remaining mixture. 

Return all of the mixture to the saucepan if soup is to be served hot. Add salt, if using fresh and the pepper. Heat through but don’t boil. 

Stir in basil. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if you like. For chilled soup, transfer to a bowl after processing. Stir in salt, if using fresh tomatoes, and the pepper. 

Cover and chill for four to 24 hours. Stir in basil before serving. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if you like. Makes four or five side-dish servings. 

*Note: Omit the ⅓ teaspoon salt using canned tomatoes. To reduce the sodium, use low-sodium tomato juice. 

There you have it. My grandma’s classic tomato soup. Grab some friends, a mug and enjoy your new tomato soup recipe. 

Dutton can be reached at [email protected].