Welcome to canning season in this Baking Beauty’s kitchen. I don’t can much, but when those tomatoes turn red, I’ve got my work cut out for me. Besides making salsa, I also make this Canned Tomato Soup.
This recipe comes from my Mother-in-law, I have no idea how long she has made this soup, but when I started dating her son 16 years ago, I know she was making the soup then already. I always found the soup to be too warm though. Like, beads of sweat on your forehead warm. But, that must have been a year for strong onions, strong peppers, and a few more dashes of cayenne, because I don’t find it to be too spicy anymore.
Ever since going gluten-free, I’ve been sure to make enough of this tomato soup to fill my pantry shelves, sometimes even making enough for a few years (you never know when you will have a bad tomato crop, so better to plan ahead). This soup has become a staple in our house, and I hope your family will enjoy it as well. You are going to want to print it out, put it in a plastic sleeve to keep it free of splatters, and bring it out whenever the tomatoes start ripening.
- 1 1/2 ice cream pails (24 cups) tomatoes, cut into chunks (I prefer to use Roma tomatoes because they are less juicy than other tomatoes
- 2 cups chopped celery
- 4 cups onions, roughly chopped
- 2 large green peppers, chopped (about 2 cups)
- 1 small bunch of parsley, roughly chopped (about 3/4 – 1 cup chopped)
- 1-2 bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp whole cloves
- Put chopped tomato into a large stock pot. Mash them with a potato masher to extract some of the juice. Begin to heat the tomatoes on a low-medium temperature while you prepare the rest of the vegetables.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the tomatoes, and bring the mixture up to a boil over medium – medium/high heat, stirring often, being careful not to burn.
- Once ingredients have come to a boil, reduce heat and allow the vegetables to slowly boil for another 2 hours, or until the vegetables are all very soft.
- Remove bay leaf (if you can find it, if not, don’t worry about it). Use an immersion blender to puree the mixture until smooth. Note: If you do not have an immersion blender, you will have to wait for your soup to cool before using your regular blender. Hot liquids in a blender can be very dangerous.
- Carefully scoop some of the soup mixture into a Chinois or rotary food press fitted over a large bowl. Press the juice through the press, and discard the peel and seeds. Repeat until you have pressed/strained all the soup. Reserve 2 cups of the soup mixture. Return the rest of the soup to the stock pot
- In a medium bowl, whisk together:
- /4 cup cornstarch
- /4 cup granulated sugar
- /4 cup salt
- /2 tsp Cayenne pepper
- Add 1/2 cup melted margarine, and the reserved soup.
- Slowly bring the strained soup back up to a gentle boil. Whisk in the cornstarch mixture, and continue to boil until the soup has thickened.
- While the soup mixture is reheating, place your canning jars in a large canner with enough water to cover them by at least 1-inch, and bring to a boil. Boil for at least 10 minutes. Also place your lids in a pan of simmering water, and simmer for 10 minutes. This ensures that the jars and lids are sterilized before adding the soup to them.
- Lift the sterilized jars from the boiling water bath and empty them. Half should be emptied into the sink, and half should be emptied back into the pot to keep the boiling water level up.
- Fill each jar with tomato soup, to within 1 cm of the rim. Wipe the rim clean with a paper towel dipped in boiling water, and place the lids and rings on top of the jar. Return the jars to the boiling water bath and boil them for 20 minutes, well covered in water.
- Remove from waterbath and set jars on a dry towel, free from drafts. Allow to cool completely before checking that each jar has sealed (the lid is pulled down slightly, and no longer “pops” when you push on it). Label and store in cool, dark place. It is best to used home canned goods within 12 months.
Could I freeze this soup instead of preserving it?
I don’t know, I’ve never tried it. I don’t see why not. I’ve frozen spaghetti sauce in the past without a problem.
I have never heard of using the microwave to seal the cans. What a neat idea. It seems like it would be so much easier and less messy than the big old pot of water.
I’m just getting my tomatoes in (it’s so hot here we’re in reverse of everyone else’s summer). I’m gong to to keep this and I KNOW I will have beautiful tomatoes to make this soup. Every year my tomato crop is just enough for a few salads. I’m hoping this will have some mojo on it to bring me lots o’ tomatoes!
I have canned pickles and jams, and have never heard of using the microwave. You’re not suppose to put metal in the microwave, but the lids are ok??
Yes, metal is not good for the microwave, but for some reason, these lids work! Weird, I know, but true.
I never canned any soup but I guess now I should.
Can you add an equal amount of water instead of milk–as we are allergic to dairy here at our house as well as gluten?
Thanks!
I’ve never tried it with water, but I guess water, or a non dairy milk would work as well. Just like the store-bought soup, where you can add water or milk, it may be a a personal preference (I never could eat tomato soup made with water though, not creamy enough, but that’s personal taste).
I made this last night after finding it on Pinterest and it is the BEST recipe for tomato soup I have ever tried. I’ve been looking for one for YEARS, I never would have thought to add butter or corn starch. Thank you so much!!!!
Wonderful! We love this soup too, it’s a staple in our pantry. Glad that you loved it too!
Just made this soup, AMAZING! However, I found it after my tomatoes have all been frozen for the year. Thoughts on making it with frozen tomatoes?
Hmm…not sure about the frozen tomatoes, sorry!
It works FABULOUS with frozen tomatoes!
I am highly allergic to corn. Is there a substitute for the corn starch?
I haven’t tried it, but I think you’d be able to use tapioca starch, or whatever you use as a thickener in place of cornstarch.
I typically stay away from any recipes that have corn anything in them. They never turn out as nice. But I just HAVE to try this soup. It seems like it would be so good! Thanks for the advice!!