Soup is one of my favorite things to cook. On a cold day there’s nothing quite like a delicious bowl of soup and while canned soups from the grocery store might suffice in a pinch there is nothing quite like the real thing.

There’s something wonderful about throwing fresh vegetables, spices and broth in a pot and having it transform into a flavorful velvety bowl of healthy goodness. Most times cream is added to create a smooth, rich texture and many of my recipes growing up incorporated this technique. But this recipe intrigued me, could there really be such a thing as a creamy creamless soup? In fact there can be.

I served mine with grilled cheese sandwiches, which you could cut into squares and use as croutons for the soup if you’re feeling clever. Otherwise, a good dunk never hurt anybody. Enjoy!

Creamless Creamy Tomato Soup
Source: Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil + extra for blending
• 1 medium onion, chopped medium
• 3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes
• 3 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed, torn/cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (I prefer Kitchen Basics. Vegetarians feel free to use Veggie Broth!)
• 2 tablespoons Southern Comfort
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Scallions for garnish

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion, garlic, red pepper flakes (feel free to omit if you’re not a fan), and bay leaf. Cook stirring frequently, until the onion is translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes with their juice. Mash the tomatoes carefully unless you would like to splatter your kitchen with tomato juice like I did. You can use a potato masher to do this if you have one, I didn’t. I used a sturdy plastic spatula. I wouldn’t recommend using a Rubbermaid one. Mash the tomatoes into pieces that are about 2 inches. Stir in the bread and sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the bread is completely saturated and starts to break down, it should take about 5 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
2. Transfer the soup in batches to a blender or food processor, unless you’re one of those lucky people that has am immersion blender, then feel free not to dirty half the pots in your kitchen. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and process until the soup is smooth and creamy, it should take about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a new pot and repeat with the remaining soup. Stir in the chicken both and Southern Comfort. Return the soup to a boil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle the soup into bowls, sprinkle with thinly sliced green onions and serve.