Tomato Rice Soup

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• With canned tomatoes and rice, pantry staples are the base of this soup. There are countless reasons why I like to have tomatoes and grains on hand at all times. They’re the kind of long shelf-life ingredients that can save you a trip to the grocery when you don’t feel like you have anything to make.
• This is a hearty tomato soup. No offense to traditional tomato soup recipes, but simmering brown rice in the broth makes it more filling. This rice addition is for everyone out there who doesn’t think soup can be a main dish.
• The rice cooks in the soup, so this is a one-pot recipe. There is no need to cook the rice separately. Everything can go in the same large pot.
• Most soups freeze well, but this one is special. I think the leftovers give the tomatoes, garlic and seasonings more time to meld together. I always have a collection of different soups portioned out in my freezer, and I reach for this one first.

The Ingredients

This is what you need:

• Tomatoes: The recipe calls for canned crushed tomatoes. I like fire-roasted tomatoes, but you can buy the ones that have basil. Do not use diced tomatoes or tomato puree. Crushed is the right consistency.
• Brown rice: To get whole grains into the soup, my preference is long grain brown rice. You can use white rice as long as you keep in mind that it has a shorter cooking time. 
• Garlic: The flavors of this soup are simple. A combination of minced garlic and dried spices go perfectly with tomatoes.
• Italian seasoning: Rather than reaching for individual seasonings, I keep a jar of this mix in my spice drawer. It has dried basil, oregano, thyme, garlic, black pepper, tarragon, red pepper flakes and chives. Depending on the brand, it can also include dried rosemary.
• Tomato paste intensifies the overall flavor making the soup even more tomatoey. Because it is so concentrated, this is something that canned tomatoes could never do on their own.
• Onions: Like countless other soup recipes, this one starts with sautéing diced onions. A white onion, yellow onion or red onion will work.
• Vegetable broth: To control the amount of salt, low-sodium vegetable broth is best. If you don’t mind if the soup is not vegetarian, you can substitute with chicken broth.
• Parmesan cheese: I top the soup with grated parmesan for a final garnish to round it out.
• Parmesan rind: This is optional. I keep a bag of parmesan rinds in my fridge to simmer with tomato-based soups and sauces. It is an easy way to add umami flavor. Just remove it before you ladle the soup into bowls.
• Olive oil: Because this simple soup has a limited ingredient list, I use high-quality extra virgin olive oil for the best taste.
• Red pepper flakes, kosher salt and black pepper: In addition to the other spices, I still season the soup with salt and pepper. Also, even though there might be red pepper flakes in your Italian seasoning mix, I still recommend adding a pinch.
• Parsley: As another garnish with the cheese, I top the soup with chopped parsley. You can also finish it with fresh basil leaves or even a swirl of pesto.