Tomato season is upon us! This delicious and simple soup recipe highlights the most delicious produce of the season, and can be stored in the freezer for several months so that you can enjoy the flavors of summer even when it’s not tomato season anymore. To increase your vitamin C and antioxidant intake, remember to choose organic tomatoes for this recipe.

The Science

study published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry found that across three different tomato varieties, organically grown fresh tomatoes had higher levels of vitamin C, carotenoids, and polyphenols than conventionally grown fresh tomatoes. The authors conclude, “This study showed that organic cultivation can provide tomatoes and tomato-derived products with significantly higher contents of antioxidant micro-constituents.’

The Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 cups organic chicken stock
• 10 medium-sized organic tomatoes, quartered
• 1 cup of loosely packed organic basil leaves
• 5 organic garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 medium-sized organic onion, quartered
• 1 cup organic parmesan cheese
• ½ cup of organic heavy cream
• salt and pepper to taste

Bring chicken stock to a simmer in a large sauce pan. Add tomatoes, basil, garlic and onion to the stock and continue to cook until all vegetables are soft, about 30 minutes. Working in batches, transfer contents of the sauce pan into a blender and puree until smooth. Transfer the pureed mixture back into the saucepan, add parmesan cheese and cream, and bring to a simmer for about 10 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.

Banner Photo Credit: Ella Olsson; unsplash.com