28 Aug 2026 3 min read Trail Provisions

Just Tomato Soup (B's Version)

For Someone Who Always Asked for Seconds

Before my current Bon Appétit-inspired tomato soup, there was something simpler. Three cans of tomatoes, a few things from the pantry, and an old standard that turned into regular requests from a lot of people.

A simple comfort dish, with very little prep. A low effort level-up for weeknight dinners, also great as a potluck item.

I made this one for my homie B, back when we lived together, and later whenever he had people over at his own spot. He'd always ask if I was bringing "the soup."

I've been making something newer and more embellished for a while now. This is the original one specifically for B, who passed last month. It always made him smile and I wanted to honor that by sharing this recipe.

I hope it makes you smile too.

A Note on the Recipe

No coconut cream or curry paste in this one. Just stewed tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and a short list of things that turn "canned soup" into something worth serving.

Simpler than what I make now, but it's the one that mattered first. And it's still pretty "screamin'" over three decades on.

Kids especially love it, you can dial back the heat or twang to suit them.

B's Tomato Soup

Serves 4–6 · Active time 10 min · Total time 20 min

Base

1 large can (28 oz) stewed tomatoes, low sodium
1 large can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes, low sodium
1 large can (28 oz) tomato sauce, low sodium

Flavor

3-4 anchovy fillets, or 1.0 -1.5 tsp fish sauce
1–2 tsp Worcestershire sauce (or to preference)
1 tsp Tabasco sauce
1 tsp honey
1–2 tbsp fresh dill, medium chopped (or to preference)

Finish

1 tsp lemon juice
2 pats butter
Salt to taste (kosher salt, additional anchovy, or fish sauce — alone or in combination)

At service

Serve hot enough to melt a coarse grate of cheese on top.

Recommended: sharp white cheddar, pepper jack, crumbled chèvre, Romano, or smoked gouda.

Finish with medium chopped green onions.

Method

Combine the three tomato bases in a pot over medium heat.
Add anchovies (or fish sauce), Worcestershire, Tabasco, and honey. Stir to combine.
Simmer 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in fresh dill during the last few minutes of simmering. Taste and adjust salt — kosher salt, more anchovy, or fish sauce, alone or combined, until it's right.
Remove from heat. Finish with lemon juice and butter.
Ladle hot into bowls and top generously with grated cheese of choice.

Why These Ingredients

Three kinds of tomato, each brings something different: stewed for texture, crushed for body, sauce for a smoother base.

Anchovies or fish sauce: same rule as always. You won't taste fish, you'll taste depth.

Worcestershire and Tabasco bring a little heat and a little tang without turning this into a spicy hot soup. Honey rounds the acidity from the tomatoes.

Most people don't reach for dill in a tomato soup. It's the ingredient that makes this B's version. The initial testing was with basil, he said it tasted more like red sauce than soup. So that's how dill got introduced, a clean pivot away from pasta vibes.

Salt is left loose on purpose. Even low-sodium canned tomatoes vary batch to batch, so taste before you season. Kosher salt, extra anchovy, or fish sauce all work, and you can combine them until it's balanced.

Lemon juice and butter at the end. Same as every version since. Lift and round it out.

The cheese on top isn't optional. Melted into a hot bowl, it's most of the reason people asked for seconds.

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