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Welcome to #VanillaWeek, hosted by Terri from Love and Confections! The #VanillaWeek bloggers have joined forces to bring you some delicious recipes, all featuring one main ingredient — Vanilla! We hope you join us throughout the week where we will be sharing vanilla recipes from breakfasts, drinks, desserts and even savory dishes! Also, don’t forget to enter our big #VanillaWeek giveaway. Enter here!
It’s soup season. Tomato-Basil Soup with Vanilla may sound strange, but I promise you it works! Loaded with veggies and beans and a splash of sweetness, this soup will warm you up and leave you feeling full and satisfied.
I know. SOUP WITH VANILLA?! What was I thinking?! I needed a little inspiration, so I started browsing Nielsen-Massey Vanillas website for recipes and lo and behold, there was one for Fresh Basil Tomato Soup with Vanilla. In fact, there were quite a few savory dishes using their vanilla extracts. I’ve never used vanilla in a non-dessert recipe so this definitely had my intrigued.
This recipe was my inspiration to make my own Tomato-Basil Soup using the Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla. All I’ve been craving lately is a steaming hot bowl of soup. It’s been pretty chilly in Florida the past few days — don’t laugh at me; 50 degrees is cold here! Soup is the perfect way to warm up!
Although I’m not sure I detected too much of the vanilla, I really loved everything about the soup. There was definitely a hint of sweetness that would not have been present had it not been for the vanilla, but it was the basil and grated parmesan added at the end that really shone through. However, soup is all about layering flavors, and I feel like I achieved that here. Each of the ingredients added its own unique flavor. The catch is making sure everything works together — and in this Tomato-Basil Soup with Vanilla, everything did.
You’re probably wondering where the grated parmesan is, right? Yeah, well, I totally forgot to add it before taking my photos. Oops. I was being lazy and didn’t feel like setting it all up again after I realized my mistake. I just couldn’t wait any longer to dive into that bowl of Tomato-Basil Soup with Vanilla!
If you want to make your own soup using vanilla extract, look for Nielsen-Massey products at Williams-Sonoma. All Nielsen-Massey products are gluten-free, allergen-free, GMO-free and Kosher, and they have a line of organic vanillas too.
- 1/2 cup finely diced onion
- 1/4 cup diced carrots
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp ap flour
- 2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
- 2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 1 medium red heirloom tomato
- 2 medium yellow heirloom tomatoes
- 1 cup chopped baby bok choy
- 1/2 cup cannelloni beans
- 2 tsp Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 cup fresh basil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat and sauté onion and carrots until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in flour and Italian seasoning.
- Add vegetable broth gradually.
- Stir in the tomatoes, bok choy, vanilla extract, basil, garlic, salt and pepper.
- Cover and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Season with more salt and pepper if desired taste has not yet been achieved.
- Garnish with parmesan cheese before serving.
Here are more #VanillaWeek Blogger recipes:
Vanilla Pineapple Margaritas from Pineapple and Coconut
Tomato-Basil Soup with Vanilla from Take A Bite Out of Boca
Vanilla Bean White Hot Chocolate from Love and Confections
Snickerdoodle Waffles from It’s Yummi
Disclaimer: Special thanks to sponsors Nielsen-Massey Vanilla, Bob’s Red Mill, Silpat, Quirk Books and Dixie Crystals/Imperial Sugar for providing prizes free of charge and supplying the participating bloggers with samples and product to use for #VanillaWeek. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.
