What Makes For a Good Tomato Soup vs Tomato Sauce Recipe?

[jjhunter]

I have a modified tomato basil soup recipe that I use for as a base for tomato sauce as well (whether the end result is for spaghetti or pizza sauce). The only difference is that for the former I also add in bouillon cubes + water + a dash of dairy product (cream or a spoonful of plain Greek yogurt). Naturally I've gotten into the habit of turning my homemade tomato sauce leftovers into homemade tomato soup, with varying degrees of success.

What makes for a really good tomato soup recipe versus a good tomato sauce recipe? And while I'm at it, what are other creative uses for leftover homemade tomato sauce?

ETA: I've written out the modified tomato basil soup/sauce recipe here in the comments.

Comments

[ar]

No recommendations on tomato soup (I, uh, really hate it XD;;), but if you have your tomato sauce on pasta one night, may I suggest matzoh pizzas the next? IDK, I really like them--they're quick and crunchy. American goulash is also good. And there's always chili!

[jjhunter]

All excellent recommendations - thank you very much! The matzoh pizza one looks especially fun, though considering that I have a ready supply of good frozen pizza dough that my local grocery store makes onsite, I'm just going to add the recipe to my recipe binder for when I'm no longer living in the area. And chili - omnomnom, I haven't done much with chili at all, and suddenly that seems like a terrible lack in my repertoire.

[ar]

Matzoh pizza is about the only way I can get my roommate to eat homemade pizza (the novelty of eating it on matzoh outweighs any complaints, lol). If I could buy fresh-made pizza dough on a regular basis, I'd gladly use that instead.

Chili is definitely something worth making. ♥ My favourite recipe is actually chili casserole, but there are a multitude of delicious chili recipes that haven't been baked in the oven. :D

Tomato Basil Sauce/Soup Recipe I Mentioned In the Post

[jjhunter]

Ingredients:
BOTH: olive oil, garlic, onions, canned tomatoes (if not crushed/pureed, do so with a blender before adding them in), salt, pepper, plethora of basil (fresh if you can get it; spoonful of pesto can substitute), oregano, optional tomato paste

SOUP ONLY: vegetable bouillon cube (or straight vegetable broth), rich dairy product (cream or spoonful plain Greek yogurt)

Procedure:
Prep: Mince two or three cloves of garlic & put to the side. Add two teaspoons or so (I do it by eye) of olive oil to your pot and put it on the lowest heat setting. Start dicing half a good-sized onion (I like Vidalia, yellow or cooking onion is fine too). After the oil has heated for 45 sec. to a minute, add in the garlic. Add the onion as soon as you're done dicing. Depending on how sweet you want the onion to get, you can either add the next batch of ingredients within two minutes, or wait for the diced onion to caramelize (closer to five or six minutes).

The next batch of ingredients consists of first the pureed canned tomatoes (the liquid will stop the onions from caramelizing any further), and then two to three shakes each of salt, pepper, and oregano. Use two teaspoons of fresh basil or pesto if you have it, or dried basil as last resort.

If you are making soup, add in two cups of vegetable broth or two cups of water + one vegetable bouillon cube. Also add either 1/4 cup cream or a spoonful of plain Greek yogurt. Cover and let simmer for 15 - 20 min, and then serve.

If you are making sauce, two or three tablespoons of tomato paste will speed up the thickening process immensely. Leave uncovered and simmer for as long as you can (1-2 hours ideal), stirring occasionally.