Shrimp, Potato & Bacon Chowder

I just had to make one last soup recipe before the weather gets too hot here in the southwest. Being in a landlocked state, I'm always a little hesitant about purchasing seafood at the supermarket (read: farm-raised crap), but I found wild caught Mexican shrimp at my local farmers market last week and knew it needed to make its way into a hearty soup. This soup. Creamy potatoes, fresh chopped shrimp, and crispy bacon all play a great role in this dinner/leftovers for lunch the next day. Feel free to use any type of potatoes you like, new potatoes, red potatoes, and russet are all great options!

Shrimp, Potato & Bacon Chowder

Ingredients:

• 2 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 lb. russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cup half & half
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 lb. wild caught raw shrimp, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 2 tsp. hot sauce
• 1 green onion, sliced

In a large pot, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until browned. Remove the bacon with a slitted spoon and place onto a paper towel to drain. Place the pot back onto the stove and cook the onions in the bacon grease.

Once the onions have softened slightly, about 3 minutes, add in the potatoes, broth, half & half, wine, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine and bring to a boil.

Lower the heat to a low simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 25-30 minutes. Stir occasionally. 

Once the potatoes are soft, add in the hot sauce and the shrimp and cook for another 3-5 minutes until the shrimp is cooked and heated through.

Serve hot, garnish with green onions and bacon. 

Paleo Mushroom Soup

I've gone back to basics today. With all of the options in the food world today, sometimes it's nice to go the simple route. Don't get me wrong, I love a complex, 20-ingredient recipe, it's like a puzzle for me. But this week I'm sharing with you what I've been eating for the past few days based on the paleo "cleanse" I am doing. Anything to fit in that wedding dress! This simple soup makes for a great side dish. I served along baked chicken and veggies for a nutrient-packed dinner. 

Paleo Mushroom Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 12-oz. mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• 5 cups vegetable or beef broth
• 3/4 cup coconut milk

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and once hot add in the shallot and garlic. Stir, cooking until softened and fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Add in the chopped mushrooms, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine and cook until he mushrooms begin to absorb all of the flavors of the shallot and garlic, 5-6 minutes.

Add in the broth and the coconut milk and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until reduced slightly, about 20 minutes. 

**Option to blend your soup until creamy (I prefer mine smooth and silky), or leaving it as it with whole pieces of mushrooms in the soup. Serve hot as a side dish, or perfect for a lunch time meal. 

Cream of Poblano Soup

Thanksgiving has come and gone. And now we are full-fledged into Christmas season. But before I go all choclate-sprinkles-peppermint-bark-toffee-truffle-eggnog on you guys, I wanted to share something a little more light after we all stuffed our faces to contentment yesterday. What was your favorite part of the day? Mine was a toss up between the bloody mary bar while watching the parade and the time spent with my loved ones. I just love this family of mine, and could shout it from the rooftops! I also love roasting poblanos and adding them to almost any meal because they have such a unique and bold flavor, without causing too much of a fuss in the kitchen. Soup seemed like the perfect Friday meal, because I assume you will also be eating leftovers galore (come back tomorrow to see what I've done with mine). Whip up a pot and be sure to tag me on instagram with #HDFB. 

 Cream of Poblano Soup

Ingredients:

• 5 poblano chiles
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• 5 cups broth
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• salt and pepper to taste

Heat up grill on high, or turn on broiler. Roast the poblanos, turning so that they turn crisp and black on all sides. Remove from the heat and place into a ziplock bag for 20 minutes to steam. Remove from the bag and remove stems, skins, and seeds from all peppers; discard. Roughly chop the roasted skin. Set aside.

In a large soup pot, melt the butter and oil together over medium-high heat. Add in the onion and cook until softened, about 7 minutes. Add in the garlic and season with salt and pepper. Stir to mix. Add in the chopped poblano, cilantro, and parsley, stir and cook for another 2 minutes.

Add in the broth and bring to a simmer. Add in the cream and stir together. Blend the soup using an immersion blender, or use a blender by blending in batches until smooth. Be careful, for the mixture will be hot.

Add the pureed soup back into the pot and bring back to a simmer. Serve hot. 

Roasted Butternut Squash & Tomato Soup

I have been sick more this year than I ever have before. I have always prided myself on the "one" who didn't get sick. I guess this is my karma for saying that? Okay, pity park over, now time for soup. I have been pumpkin the fluids like crazy and even trying to drink fresh-pressed juice as possible to get as many nutrients in hopes of speeding up the healing process. But enough was enough last night, and when I really just wanted my mom to come take care of me (which I know she would have, hi mom!), I mustered up the strength to make a quick homemade soup, and photograph it somehow. Warm, cozy, and healthy to boot, thanks to the fresh ginger root and anti-oxidant packed vegetables, I should be back to my old self in no time! Feeling the same way this cold season? Try making this at home, and let me know what you think. As always be sure to tag #HDFB on social media so I can see your posts!

 Roasted Butternut Squash & Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

• 3 cups diced butternut squash
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
• 28-oz. can San Marzano tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups homemade broth
• salt and pepper to taste
• chopped parsley for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 

Place a piece of tin foil onto a baking sheet and spread out the butternut squash and garlic onto the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tbsp. of the olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and set aside.

In a large soup pot, heat the remaining oil over medium-high heat. Add in the onions and saute until softened, about 7 minutes. Stir in the ginger, and season with a little salt and pepper. Cook for 30 seconds before adding in the roasted squash, garlic, and tomatoes. Then stir in the broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes.

Use an immersion blender to puree the soup. If you don't have one, allow it to cool for a bite before blending the mixture in batches in your blender. Season with salt and pepper, then garnish with chopped parsley before serving. 

Roasted Cauliflower & Leek Soup with Cheesy Bread

Cheesy bread can really make any meal infinitely better. Not that this soup can't stand on its own, but seriously. Cheesy bread makes it. Soft baguette, sliced and toasted to cheesy perfection, dipped in creamy soup just makes all your problems disappear. Not that I have any problems worth complaining about. Honestly, I have it pretty damn good. Got a fine-ass fiance, the best family and friends a girl could ask for, an extremely flexible job that I love, and this blog where I get to talk to all of you, my internet friends! Okay, cheesy, I know. Enough about me, and more about cheesy bread and silky soup. It's the weekend, so treat yo' self! 

Roasted Cauliflower & Leek Soup with Cheesy Bread

Ingredients:

• 2 large leeks, white and light green part only, sliced
• 1 large head of cauliflower, florets only, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup olive oil, separated
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp. white miso
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1/2 lemon, juiced

Cheesy Bread

• 1 french baguette, sliced
• 6 oz. sharp white cheddar cheese, sliced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil. Toss the leeks, cauliflower, onion, and garlic with 2 tbsp. olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake for 20-30 minutes, tossing halfway through. Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

Add roasted veggies, miso, broth, cream, cumin, red pepper flakes, and lemon juice to a large blender (blend in 2-3 batches if it looks too full).  Puree until clean. Add the pureed soup to a medium saucepan and heat over medium-low heat until thickened and warmed through. Stir in the remaining olive oil just before serving.

While soup is heating, placed the baguette slices on a baking sheet and top with 2-3 slices of cheddar on each piece of bread. Bake in the oven until the cheese has melted. Serve with hot soup.

One-Pot Pasta Primavera...with Chicken

Isn't it nice when you can get dinner on the table in under 20 minutes? It's basically unheard of, unless you count hitting the drive through on your way home. But not in this household. I'm all about the homemade meals. Doesn't mean everything has to be healthy. No no no. We eat plenty of pasta, pizza, and burgers in this house. But don't you feel better about indulging when you make it yourself and know exactly what it is that is on your plate? I know I do! I am currently juggling working full time, obtaining my Human Resources certificate, running this here blog, and planning a wedding, so any spare time that I can have with my handsome fiance is precious time to me. That's why I love this recipe. I honestly threw every vegetable in my fridge into the pot, so feel free to go rogue on this one. It's completely hassle free, so there's no excuses for running through the drive through this time!

One-Pot Pasta Primavera...with Chicken

Ingredients:

• 4 cups homemade vegetable broth
• 8 oz. linguine, uncooked
• 1/2 onion, halved then thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups broccoli florts, chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 large carrot, halved lengthwise, then chopped
• 2/3 cup brussels sprouts, stems removed and quartered
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 tsp. lemon zest
• 2 tbsp. freshly grated parmesan cheese

Put the broth, pasta, onion, broccoli, bell pepper, carrot, brussels, garlic, red pepper, salt, black pepper, and olive oil in a large soup pot.

Bring the mixture to a boil. Once the broth comes to a boil, reduce heat to a medium boil, and toss continuously for 7 minutes. 

The liquid will slightly absorb into the pasta and veggies, but not completely. Add in the cream, parsley, lemon zest, and parmesan. Continue to simmer, tossing frequently for another 2 minutes. 

Remove from the heat and allow to sit for a minute or two, allowing the pasta to cool and the liquid to absorb a bit more. 

Serve hot. Top with more parmesan or parsley if you desire.

Spicy Sriracha Ramen with Poached Egg

Weekends sometimes call for emergency hangover food. In college, this mostly meant cooking up a package of chicken ramen and curling up in bed watching Entourage re-runs in my sorority house. As I have gotten older, the nights our drinking have decreased, but somehow the degree of hangovers have worsened. One thing has stayed constant, there is nothing more comforting than a bowl of ramen noodles. This grown up version tosses out the old-school seasoning packet and obtains it's flavor from a mixture of sriracha hot sauce, sesame oil, and coconut aminos, a soy-free gluten-free version of soy sauce. You can really class it up by serving this with a poached egg on top, an ode to a good bowl of pho. Plus, today is National Hot & Spicy Food Day, so there's no reason NOT to make this. 

Spicy Sriracha Ramen with Poached Egg
Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. sesame oil
• 2 tbsp. sriracha hot sauce
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1-inch fresh ginger, grated
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp. old bay seasoning
• 2 cups water
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp. coconut aminos (or sub soy sauce)
• 1 tsp. rice vinegar
• 3 packages ramen noodles, discard seasoning packets
• 1/2 cup green onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 poached egg per serving

Heat the sesame oil and sriracha over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add in the chopped onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add in the ginger, garlic, and old bay seasonings. Cook for another minute before adding in the water. Remove form the heat and add to a blender. Blend until smooth.

Add back into the soup pot and pour in the broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer, adding in the coconut aminos and vinegar, cooking for 10 minutes. 

Add in the ramen noodles and cook for 3-4 minutes until the noodles are softened. Remove from heat, toss in the scallions, and stir to mix. 

To serve, ladle into shallow bowls then top with chopped cilantro and a poached egg.

Recipe inspired by.

Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

After the two major vacations we took in December, our wallets and our stomach's were begging us to please get back into a healthy routine. Red eye flights, meals in airports, and the winter cold running rampant in Arizona were all catching up to us last week, so I decided to make a quick homemade batch of soup to calm our aching tummies and warm us up. This makes about 4 servings, so invite some friends over, or reheat this again for another night of traditional comforting soup. 

Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp. butter
• 2 large carrots, chopped
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 sprig thyme, stem removed
• 1 sprig rosemary, stem removed and leaves chopped
• 2/3 cup cooked wild rice
• salt and pepper
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 large chicken breast, diced
• 2/3 cup heavy cream

In a large soup pot heat the butter over medium-high heat. Toss in the carrots and onions and cook until softened, about 7 minutes. Add in the thyme, rosemary, and wild rice. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine.

Pour in the chicken broth and bring to a low boil. Add in the chopped chicken breast and allow the chicken to cook in the broth; about 20 minutes. The chicken will be cooked through and extremely tender.

Pour in the cream, stir and cook, on a low boil, for another 10 minutes. Serve warm. Can keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week or 3 months in the fridge.

*Tip: be sure to use butter, not olive oil like I did here, hence the oily pictures*

Green Chile Chicken Corn Chowder

With the holidays fast approaching, it seems like everyone is in a rush to get everything done. After work, there's barely enough time for the gym and gift shopping, let alone cooking a gourmet meal each night. This chowder is the answer to your schedule-packed prayers. From preparation to on the dinner table in just under 30 minutes, you can make sure that you are eating good, healthy, homemade meals, but in a fraction of the time. You can even make a batch of this and freeze it for future consumption! Hassle free and delicious. My kinda meal right there. 

Green Chile Chicken Corn Chowder

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 large jalapeno, minced (remove ribs and seeds for less heat)
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 hatch green chiles, stems removed and chopped
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 14.5-oz. can white beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 14.5-oz. can corn, drained
• 2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
• whole milk greek yogurt for topping

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add in the onion and cook until beginning to soften, about 6 minutes. Add in the garlic, jalapeno, green bell pepper, green chiles and cook again until soft, another 3 minutes or so. 

Add in the chicken broth, the diced chicken, beans, and corn. Lower heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Just before serving add in the chopped cilantro and half of the shredded cheese. Stir well until the cheese melts into the chowder.

Serve the chowder in bowls, topped with more shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream.

Green Chile Turkey Stew

I've been hoping that the weather would be colder here in AZ by now. High of 85 doesn't exactly scream fall. But I just try and pretend like it's in the 50's in my little food blogger world. Stew is the answer to this problem. We like to pretend it's cold by turning on all the fans and then cuddling up under a blanket on the couch, eating stew. Then it feels like it's fall. This dinner isn't for the faint of heart though. It's damn spicy actually. Not intentionally. I just started throwing things together in the crock pot, and then I was like, oh, that's a lot of spice. But I wasn't about to start over. And if you've known me for all of 3 seconds, you know I like things spicy. Like, let's order this amazing salad with jalapeños and serrano dressing, I promise it's not that hot, and then my boyfriend has immediate hiccups at the dinner table. Sorry babe! So serve this with a nice cold beer, crushed tortilla chips, and some cold sour cream to cool your palate. This stew also doubles as a way to clear up any sign of the sniffles if you're feeling under the weather!

Green Chile Turkey Stew

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tbsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 roasted hatch green chiles, chopped (or 4-oz. can)
• 1 chipotle is adobo, minced + 1 tsp. sauce
• 1 can Rotel diced tomatoes in sauce
• 1 14.5-oz. can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 12-oz. can beer (I used Four Peaks Kiltlifter)

In a large skillet cook the turkey over medium-high heat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until browned. Add in the onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and cayenne. Mix well and cook for another 5 minutes, allowing the onions and garlic to cook.

Add the turkey mixture to your crock pot, tossing in the green chiles, chipotle, tomatoes, pinto beans, and beer. Mix well and cook on low for 8 hours, allowing the flavors to merry and your house to become deliciously fragrant. 

Serve with shredded cheddar, cilantro, sour cream, tortilla chips, whatever you desire!

Pumpkin & Roasted Pear Soup with Goat Cheese

After buying out what seemed like the entire Costco grocery section for our housewarming party last weekend, we have leftovers galore. Yogurt, bacon, pancakes, waffles, juice, fruit, you name it, it's in a zip lock bag or tupperware in our fridge. With that being said, I have had to get quite crafty with dinner so that we can use up what we've got before heading out on yet another grocery store run. This recipe is the perfect case in point. Leftover pears, ginger, and goat cheese paired perfectly with the can of organic pumpkin puree in my pantry, and I served the soup alongside some crispy jalapeno jack grilled cheese sandwiches. The soup is actually very light in flavor, which pairs perfectly with the rich goat cheese. Eating this made leftovers the very last thing on my mind! Plus we received these adorable soup bowls from my old roommate and her boyfriend as a housewarming gift, and just had to break them in right away!

Pumpkin & Roasted Pear Soup with Goat Cheese

Ingredients:

• 1 can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 2 ripe pears, stemmed and cored then chopped
• 2 tbsp. butter, divided
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/2-inch knob of ginger, finely minced
• 1 L chicken or vegetable stock
• crumbled goat cheese for garnish

Heat 1 tbsp. of the butter in a large skillet and add in the chopped pears. Cook for 5-7 minutes until they are softened. Place cooked pears aside in a bowl. In the same skillet, heat up the other tbsp. of butter and add in the onions. Season with salt and pepper and cook another 5-7 minutes until softened. Add in the minced ginger and stir, cooking for another minute. Add the cooked pears, onions, and ginger to a large soup pot. Add in the pumpkin puree and add the chicken broth until the mixture is just covered. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

Use and immersion blender, or blend in batched in a standard blender, and whirl until smooth. Serve hot with crumbled goat cheese and some freshly cracked black pepper on top.

Tequila Lime Turkey Chili

It's officially October, which means a plethora of things for me! It's my favorite time of the year, greeting us with cool crisp mornings, where we get an excuse in AZ to wear scarfs and sweaters, I get to decorate my house for the first time since the last set of holidays ended, I can finally run outside, and this year I get to venture on 4 vacations before the New Year! Oh, you didn't think I forgot about the most important one did you? HALLOWEEN!!! It's no secret that I am uber-obsessed with the holiday. I personally like it more than Christmas, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I have had my decorations up for 2 weeks now. I had already pulled out the bins of decorations from the garage and dragged them into the house before looking up at my boyfriend and asking him if I could put them up. There was no saying no to that smile on my face! And last, but not least, it's time to break out the crock pot for just about every meal. This chili was so easy to assemble, it basically requires no work at all. The crock pot does almost all of the work for you. Now if only they made a crock pot that diced your onions for you... I might be on to something!

Tequila Lime Turkey Chili

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 jalapeno, minced (remove the seeds and ribs for less heat)
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp. chili powder
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 lb. lean ground turkey
• 6 oz. tomato sauce
• 1 can diced tomatoes (such as Rotel with green chiles)
• 1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 3 tbsp. tequila
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo, minced
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• garnish: freshly chopped cilantro, shredded pepper jack or cheddar cheese, lime wedges, tortilla chips, sour cream, diced avocado

In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add in the onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno and cook until softened; 5-7 minutes. Add in the tomato paste, garlic, chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Cook for another 2 minutes until well combined and aromatic.

Add in the ground turkey, and as it cooks, break it up with a large wooden spoon, until browned and no more pink exists. Add in the tomato sauce and mix well.

Pour turkey mixture into a crock pot and stir in the diced tomatoes, pinto beans, chipotle, and tequila. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

When ready to serve, add in the lime juice and mix well. Place a large ladleful of the chili into a bowl and top with your garnishes of choice!

Sweet Potato Chipotle Cheddar Soup

Can I just tell you how excited I am for soup season?! I am soup's biggest advocate, and I love it in all shapes and forms. I like cold soup, I like hot soup. I like it when it's spicy, or mild. I like it by itself, or with an ooey-gooey grilled cheese sandwich. Last week I made this tomato soup with burrata, and this week I'm switching things up with a spicy kick to a somewhat traditional creamy soup, without any actually cream. That's my favorite part! The sweet potatoes break down and create all of the creamy texture you need, and the shredded cheese just melts perfectly. Do yourself a favor and serve this up on a cool night with some warm crispy bread. 

Sweet Potato Chipotle Cheddar Soup

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 cinnamon stick (or 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon)
• 2 large sweet potatoes (not yams), peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
• 6 cups homemade chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 chipotle chili in adobo sauce, minced
• 6 oz. sharp cheddar, shredded
• 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 2 green onions, sliced

In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add in the onion, celery, and salt, cooking until the onion is softened and starting to turn brown; stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes. Stir in the cumin and cinnamon stock, mixing well to combine the spices, then add in the sweet potato and broth. Bring up to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 20-30 minutes, until the potatoes are soft and falling apart. 

Add in the chili and the vinegar before removing from the heat. Remove the cinnamon and stick and use an immersion blender (or work in batches in a standard blender) and blend until smooth. Stir in the shredded cheddar just before serving, allowing it to melt, and garnish with chopped green onions. 

Recipe slightly adapted from here.

Tomato Basil Bisque with Burrata

You may or may not have heard about the record breaking floods that we had in AZ this week. As an Arizona native, I can tell you that this is something I have never seen before, and quite frankly our state was not prepared for. Like, our Governor announced a state of emergency. We can barely drive when it starts to sprinkle out, let alone in a torrential downpour that lasts for several hours. 

But I went along with the stormy weather and made some good old fashioned tomato soup for dinner, but instead of serving it with a side of grilled cheese, I put the cheese IN the soup. That's right, both blended in as a thickening agent, and a fresh ball of burrata on top as a garnish. If you haven't had burrata cheese, then you have not lived. It is mozzarella cheese stuffed with shredded mozzarella and cream. The outside if firm, like you would expect mozzarella to be, but then you cut into it, and oh do some naughty cheese things happen. I normally enjoy me some burrata with bacon, olive oil, and arugula on toast as an appetizer, but this just sounded too good not to try!

Tomato Basil Bisque with Burrata

Ingredients:

• 8 roma tomatoes
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 1-2 tbsp. fresh basil, roughly chopped
• 1/2 tsp. thyme
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 14.5-oz. can tomato sauce or diced tomatoes
• 1 cup heavy cream or creamy ricotta cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Drizzle tomatoes and garlic with 1 tbsp. olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in oven for 20 minutes. Remove carefully and set aside.

Meanwhile, preheat the remaining tbsp. of olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add in onion, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add in the cooked tomatoes, garlic, basil, and thyme. Allow to cook for another 10 minutes.

Add in reserved liquids from roasting the tomatoes, chicken broth, and tomato sauce/diced. Lower heat to a simmer and allow to cook uncovered for 30-45 minutes.

After the soup has thickened use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth. Add in the cream or ricotta and blend again until combined.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowl, top with burrata cheese and a basil sprig. 

If you have leftovers, store in the fridge in an airtight container and reheat the next day or two. It's best served with a grilled cheese sandwich in my opinion!