I’ve only recently started listening to podcasts. It’s in direct correlation with taking better care of myself this year—both my mind and my body. Running again has carved out time for podcasts. It’s making me smarter. And more fit too. (I hope.) I oscillate between listening to The Splendid Table, A Couple Cooks, and Food Blogger Pro. I’m certain there are extra calories associated with food podcasts.

This post was created in an ongoing partnership with Muir Glen. Muir Glen harvests organic tomatoes at the peak of ripeness. Tomatoes go from field to can in 8 hours or less. When I shop for canned tomatoes, I stock my pantry with Muir Glen. All opinions/endorsements are my own.

It was late afternoon. I was squeezing in a run while listening to Episode 520 of The Splendid Table. Lynne Rossetto Kasper, the host, opened with Penny de los Santos, a photographer I’ve long followed. Penny caught my attention by naming food a common language that’s been given a voice through the continuous feed of Instagram. I speak that language too.

15 minutes in, Lynne welcomes Tom Douglas of Dahlia Bakery. Tom goes on to talk about his quick homemade tomato soup. His mom’s recipe was quick too, he said. It came from a can. But he promised an excellent tomato soup in under 20 minutes. Dinner time was fast approaching, and, of course, I hadn’t thought that far ahead. 20-minute tomato soup it was.

We’ve made this soup again and again (especially on weeknights) and added our own footprint too. For a dose of easy flavor, we use Muir Glen Fire Roasted Tomatoes. I got the chance to attend the tomato harvest last year. We ate tomatoes straight off the vine and drove alongside the bright red truck loads towards the processing facility. Once there, Laura from The First Mess was on a pilgrimage to see the tomatoes being fire roasted. She knew something I didn’t. After tasting them straight out of the can, I went home and stocked my pantry exclusively with Muir Glen Fire Roasted Tomatoes. She was right. It’s an easy way to add so much flavor.

It’s a quick sauté of sliced sweet onion and garlic to start the soup. Pour in tomatoes, water, salt, pepper, oregano, and sugar. Don’t skip the sugar as it tames the acidity of the soup. Cook for a bit longer then blitz the mixture with a touch of cream. As Tom says, it’s not a creamy soup but the splash of cream helps level the mouth feel. It’s fit for a weeknight but tastes like the weekend.

Tomato soup, crusty bread, and a pat of butter. That’s a language we speak well too. Especially this time of year as the weather swings from winter to summer and back again. Maybe a touch of cream and sugar would help to level that off too.

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Recipe adapted from Tom Douglas via The Splendid Table.

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