This post contains affiliate links.
One of my all-time favorite savory flavor pairings is tomato and fennel. I know Italians have been onto this for a long time, but I’m fairly new to this combination. I only got turned onto it recently because I bought some pasta sauce seasoning from Pike’s Place Market in Seattle that contained fennel seeds. I loved how the sweetness from the fennel seeds combined with the tart tomato sauce! I am now forever ruined and now fennel seeds can make or break a pasta sauce for me. I know fennel is one of those ingredients where you either love it or you hate it. In this soup, the fennel‘s licorice flavor isn’t as strong. I honestly think you could even make a fennel-hater a believer with this soup!
With fall practically here, (even though we had crazy heat waves in San Francisco – it got to 114 F in SF! ) I decided to take my favorite pairing and turn it into a soup! You really don’t need a lot of seasoning for this soup, which makes it such a simple and easy dish to make. Also, it’s done in only 30 minutes! I like serving this with either grilled cheese made with crusty sourdough bread or with gnocchi almost like a soupy sauce!
With fennel coming into season soon, you’ll be seeing them in the farmer’s markets and now you’ll have a recipe to use them in! Enjoy!
Tomato Fennel Soup
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 2-3 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 large yellow onion, sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
- 2 fennel bulbs, sliced thinly and keep the fronds for garnish
- 4 large tomatoes, diced (1 inch)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/4 tsp crushed chili flake
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tbsp heavy cream (optional)
Instructions
- In a large saucepot, add vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute for 2-3 minutes until they are translucent. Turn heat down to medium-low. Add garlic and fennel seeds. Saute for 2 minutes. Add fennel and a pinch of salt. Stir well. Turn heat down to low and cover. Cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes, stir well and cover. Cook for 2 more minutes. Add tomato paste, chili flakes, and paprika. Stir, cover and cook for 5 minutes until the tomatoes are nice and soft. Turn the heat to high and add vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on low for 15 minutes.
- Pour the soup into a blender and blend until completely smooth. Make sure to vent your blender so that it doesn’t pop or splash everywhere when you open it! Return the soup to the pan and add salt and pepper to taste! To serve, drizzle with a spoonful of heavy cream and garnish with fennel fronds. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
