Because I’m ALL ABOUT honesty and transparency here on the site…I’m going to share this #FAIL with you!
I made the below recipe. And washed it down the sink.
I was super sad and bummed because I had used tomatoes from the garden.
It went like this on Twitter…
I had a few folks offer links and recipes for their favorite tomato soups…but I really just wasn’t into making another one. And when asked by Lynn what went wrong, I said this…
So there you have it. My fail!
I ended up making a quick “Italian stirfry” with mixed frozen Italian style veggies, 2 diced chicken breasts and some pasta. All in the same skillet. I’ll share the specifics on that recipe another day.
I’m off to mourn the loss of my precious garden tomatoes. Lost, tragically, in this failed experiment!
(I will say that the roasting tomatoes turned out a most heavenly scent throughout the house this afternoon!)
Ingredients
About 2 lbs. Roma tomatoes (I used some I had frozen from the garden…FREE!)
Few drizzles of olive oil ($.05)
Pinchful of dried basil (free!)
Pinchful of garlic powder (as I’m all out of fresh garlic!) ($.05)
Salt and freshly cracked pepper
3 cups homemade chicken stock (free)
Salt and pepper to taste
Bread slices for Toast ($.50)
Butter or dairy-free margarine
2 large or 3 small broccoli heads ($.82)
**I would have like to have served some grilled cheese sandwiches or homemade parmesan croutons/sticks, but opted for toast to keep it dairy free!
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400. Place Roma tomatoes snuggly into a baking dish or pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle dried or fresh chopped basil, garlic powder and salt and pepper over the top. Roast the tomatoes for 30-40 minutes in the preheated oven.
2. Once roasted, place the chicken stock and roasted tomatoes into a blender or food processor and puree. Pour into saucepan and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Toast the bread. Or make grilled cheese or homemade parmesan croutons!
4. Steam broccoli in stovetop steamer or in a microwaveable bowl with 1/4 cup of water, covered with plastic wrap, for 4-5 minutes.
5. Serve Roasted Tomato Soup with Toast and Broccoli.
Cost $1.42
dawn says
oh erin i’m so sorry!! 🙁 i roasted, pureed and froze a TON of tomatoes with hopes of doing the same thing, so i understand all the work that goes into getting enough to do anything with. i did have one turn out nicely, but i completely crossed my fingers & made up the recipe, which was milk-based. don’t know how you’d do that dairy-free, whether soy would be too …soy? hmmm coconut milk? don’t give up; i hope you have better luck w/ the next batch!!!
Susie's Homemade says
I am so sorry for your loss:-)
Megan says
I understand that you probably used the chicken stock because you had it on hand, but if you’re making a vegetable-based soup you should really use vegetable broth! Especially if you’re using homemade stock, which has so much more flavor, you’re going to get a lot of the taste of the meat.
Did you save the soup? You could use it as a base for a chicken casserole instead of canned soup.
Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom says
@Megan,
I didn’t save it…but that’s a good idea…it was just “too much”…after a taste, I couldn’t imagine using it for anything!
Alisa - One Frugal Foodie says
I can certainly relate. Such good intentions, good ingredients, and a flop. Funny thing is, I recently made a tomato soup that was similar (sans roasting) with all garden fresh ingredients. It was pretty good, but something was still amiss … it was the chicken broth! Thanks for the help, I am roasting and going all veggie with it next time 🙂
Becky says
Erin- Homemade Tomato soup is one of my family’s favorite meals. The recipe I use calls for tomato sauce in addition to the chicken broth. It’s 16 oz tomato sauce to 3 cups broth and 4 cups tomatoes. Hope that helps!
Becky
clara says
It is heartbreaking to throwout a meal you worked so hard on and part of your preserved summer produce. Never thought of freezing tomatoes but I would hate to lose any of the cans of tomatoes from our summer crop. We spend many a Saturday afternoon July-September in the kitchen sweating over pots of boiling water to have enough of our home grown veggies to last us. They are precious.
Jessica Nunemaker says
There is nothing more frustrating than an experiment gone wrong — especially when it involves fresh garden stuff!
I completely feel your pain. 😉
bridget {bake at 350} says
I had a #FAIL last week in the baking department. 🙂 You made me feel better…thank you!
Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom says
@bridget {bake at 350},
With every #fail, comes an even better success!!!