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Tomato-Basil Soup

Source of Recipe

From "Beginner's Guide to Canning" by Diane Devereaux


Recipe Introduction

"I love a hot bowl of this soup alongside a gooey grilled cheese and pesto sandwich. My kids enjoy this soup best when I add a cup of cooked elbow macaroni. You can't go wrong no matter how you serve it!"

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 3 tablespoons olive oil
â—¦ 4 medium yellow onions, chopped (2 cups)
â—¦ 8 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
â—¦ 8 cups vegetable broth
â—¦ 4 cups water
â—¦ 24 medium tomatoes, peeled and quartered (12 cups)
â—¦ ¼ cup dried basil
â—¦ 3 tablespoons sugar
â—¦ 2 teaspoons salt (optional)
â—¦ 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
â—¦ 1 to 3 teaspoons red pepper flakes (optional)


Recipe

This recipe is hot packed, so have clean jars resting in hot water. In a large stockpot, combine the oil, onions, and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions become translucent and soft. Add the broth, water, tomatoes, and basil. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the tomatoes are soft. Remove from heat.

Working in batches, purée the tomato mixture in a food processor. If you have an immersion blender, keep the tomato mixture in the stockpot and purée. Return the purée to the stockpot and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring often to avoid scorching. Add the sugar, salt (if using), black pepper, and red pepper flakes (if using). Mix well and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Place the hot jars on a cutting board. Using a funnel, ladle the hot soup into the jars, leaving a 1-inch headspace. Wipe the rim of each jar with a warm washcloth dipped in distilled white vinegar. Place a lid and ring on each jar and hand-tighten.

Fill the pressure canner with 3 quarts of water and add 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar. Place the jars in the pressure canner, lock the pressure canner lid, and bring to a boil over high heat. Let the canner vent for 10 minutes. Close the vent and continue heating to achieve 11 PSI for a dial gauge and 10 PSI for a weighted gauge. Process both quarts and pints for 25 minutes.

After the processing time has been reached, turn off the heat.
Allow the pressure in the canner to reach zero on its own, which usually takes about 30 minutes. Safely remove the canner lid and allow the jars to sit for 10 minutes inside the canner before removing.

Makes 6 quarts or 12 pints