Similar to fondue, Low-Carb Cheesy Tomato Basil Chowder uses a secret ingredient – a touch of white wine – to help keep the cheese from becoming stringy.
Offhand it’s hard to think of a more comforting wintertime meal than tomato soup. Maybe it’s nothing more than Campbell’s has a great marketing campaign (mmm, mmm good!). Or maybe it’s because as a kid I remember my dad making tomato soup on the regular in the winter (and he’d add to it – of all the odd things – macaroni noodles!). Whatever the reason, tomato soup just feels right to me this time of year.
I like to switch up the flavors in my tomato soups; this one features the freshness of basil, richness and texture from cream cheese, and a slight nuttiness from cheddar. In the past I’ve typically used a bit of flour to make a roux (which is nothing more than flour cooked in fat, typically butter) to thicken my creamy tomato soups, but I wanted to keep this dish free of gluten and grains.
I knew there had to be a way to achieve this while keeping the soup low-carb. And suddenly it hit me! Fondue is classically made with a bit of wine because the acidity helps the cheese from becoming stringy (because other than in string cheese, there is just no place for that, lol!). I tried it here and it worked like a charm. This is a trick I’ll definitely be remembering for next time.
If you’re so inclined, this is an easy dish to keep meatless; just use vegetable stock instead of chicken bone broth. Personally, I like the richness that bone broth brings to this dish, but the vegetarian version is also delicious.
Here are a few of my other tomato soup favorites:
- Creamy Wintertime Tomato Soup
- Creamy Tomato and White Bean Soup from Simply Recipes
- Blushing Strawberry Onion and Tomato Soup, Hot or Chilled
- Roasted Garlic and Tomato Soup from Chef de Home
- Indian Spiced Cream of Tomato Soup with Whole Wheat Couscous
What’s your favorite kind of tomato soup?
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- ¾ cup (180 ml) no-salt-added crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups (475 ml) vegetable stock or chicken bone broth
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 oz (57 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon dry white wine
- 4 oz (115 g) cheddar cheese, shredded (I like Cabot Tomato Basil Cheddar or Seriously Sharp Cheddar for this)
- Fresh basil leaves, for serving
- Heat the oil in a 3-quart pot over medium to medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, but not browned, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic and cook 30 seconds more, stirring constantly.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, broth, tomato paste, salt, and pepper, and bring up to a simmer.
- Whisk in the cream cheese until smooth, and then whisk in the wine, and the shredded cheese a handful at a time until fully incorporated.
- Cool slightly and then carefully puree in a blender.
- Serve with fresh basil leaves on top.
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
This is purely comforting. Love the subtle and pretty color.
Pinned.