This is the best! Don’t be afraid to mix yellow tomatoes with reds, or sweet cherry tomatoes with slicers. Blending varieties makes a more interesting flavor, and it will be oh, so slightly different each time you make it.

Ingredients:

2 pounds ripe tomatoes (any red, yellow, or orange varieties)
1 tablespoon olive oil
3⁄4 cup chopped onion
1⁄2 cup water
1 teaspoon chicken base (from a jar)
Pinch of garlic powder
1⁄2 teaspoon sugar
Salt
Freshly snipped chives, for garnish

Instructions:

To make the Fresh Tomato Soup:

Immerse washed tomatoes in a medium soup pot of boiling water for 1 to 11⁄2 minutes. Transfer tomatoes to a colander and discard the hot water. Let tomatoes cool.

While tomatoes are cooling, rinse the pot thoroughly and return it to the stove. Add oil and heat on medium-high. Sauté the onion until it turns translucent. Remove pot from the heat.

Remove and discard the skins, tough cores, and as many seeds as possible from the tomatoes. Crush tomatoes with your hands over the soup pot and add them to the onion. Add the water, bouillon, garlic powder, and sugar. Bring to a slow boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Simmer the soup for 5 to 8 minutes, and then add salt to taste. Remove from heat. Serve the soup as is, or puréed. Garnish with chives.

Variations:

For Tomato Soup with Boursin, add 1⁄2 cup roughly chopped basil leaves and 6 ounces soft garlic and herb cheese before puréeing; omit the chives.
For Simple Cream of Tomato Soup, purée the soup and stir in 1 cup heavy whipping cream while reheating.