Tomato Bacon Bisque

Many years of disliking tomatoes and an unfortunate encounter with Campbell's canned tomato soup had me thinking all this time that any variation of the stuff wasn't for me.  However, this year I decided that I was going to push myself to try things I usually wouldn't, because taste buds change and yadda yadda, so tomato soup has been on my list.  On the bottom of the list.  Far down, where I was hoping I'd never get to it.

But I did.  Thank goodness I did.

About a month ago, when I was perusing reddit as per usual, I saw a post for Tomato Bacon Bisque that was ordered at a restaurant.  It actually looked amazing, and sounded even better.  Sure, it was technically a tomato soup, but with the cream and bacon, I was thinking that maybe I could get behind that.  I told myself that I couldn't avoid the glaring challenge on my "Learn to Like it List" anymore, vowed to make it that weekend, aaaaaaaand I didn't make it.

2 weeks later I finally was able to fit it in my schedule (read: convinced myself to suck it up and try it) and proceeded to smack myself in the forehead for stalling so long.

It.

Was.

Amazing.

This is the perfect soup for this chilly season, when we're all wrapped up in blankets and need a little something to warm us up.  I served my Tomato Bacon Bisque with Pretzel Bread Grilled Cheese, which, as I mentioned in yesterday's post, was just the perfect comfort food combination I can imagine.  The soup is pretty simple to make, so you can whip it up regardless of your kitchen experience.  Also, it's really easy to make those cool designs in the soup, so you can impress everyone you serve it to.  Top it off with a sprinkle of bacon and some celery leaves and it looks like something you'd get at a restaurant!

Plus, did I mention that it's seriously delicious? Even to someone who has always hated tomato soup? It doesn't get much better than that.

Thanks to /u/onemantwohands for the inspiration!

Tomato Bacon Bisque

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5 from 3 reviews

• Author: Morgan
• Total Time: 40 minutes

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Description

Make this Tomato Bacon Bisque to warm your heart and fill your belly this chilly season, and you'll fall in love with the rich flavors!

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 6 strips of bacon, uncooked and cut into thirds
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ½ yellow onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped, plus celery leaves to top
• ¼ cup flour
• 1 30oz can diced tomatoes
• ¼ cup chicken stock
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Sour cream
• Milk

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Instructions

1. Heat a soup pot over medium heat and add the bacon. Cook until crisp, about 10 minutes, and remove to a paper towel lined plate, keeping all of the grease in the pot.
2. Add in the tablespoon of butter, let it melt, and then add in the chopped onion and celery. Cook until the onions become translucent and tender, about 5 minutes.
3. Add in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes or until the butter, grease, flour, onions, and celery all stick and thicken together.
4. Add in the canned tomatoes, chicken stock, sugar, a bit of pepper, and the bay leaf. Bring the mixture to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pot often so that the flour doesn't burn. Reduce the mixture to a simmer and continue to cook for 30 minutes. Again, stir and scrape every few minutes in order to prevent the bottom from burning.
5. Remove from heat, remove the bay leaf and discard it, and slowly add the heavy cream. Stir to combine, and let the bisque cool for about 5 minutes.
6. In small batches, pour the bisque into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. You could also do this in the pot with an immersion blender. After all of the soup has been blended, return it to the soup pot and heat over low heat until ready to serve.
7. When serving, mix 3 parts sour cream and 1 part milk in a plastic sandwich bag. Seal the bag and cut off the very tip of a bottom corner of the bag so you can pipe the sour cream through it. Make a swirly design on top of the soup, and then use a toothpick to drag points of the swirl in different directions. Create a cool design, place a celery leaf on top, sprinkle with the reserved bacon, and serve!

• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 35 mins
• Category: Main