Creamy Tomato Soup with Cheddar Dumplings

 

It was a great day in our house whenever my mother made dumplings on top of a soup or a stew.  In fact, it was a red letter day!  There was just something about those light and fluffy quick breads that warmed our hearts and tingled our tastebuds!

Similar to a baking powder biscuit, drop dumplings are created in much the same way. The batter is a lot damper however and decidedly droppable. In North America in any case. In the U.K. they are usually much stiffer, made with suet and are baked, not steamed.

Both varieties are decidedly delicious and I would never turn down either one of them!

I had seen a Tomato Soup recipe with Cheddar Bay Dumplings on a blog called Heather Likes Food that looked really appealing. I love tomato soup and I love dumplings. It was a GO for me!

Just one problem, however, was that she used Cheddar Bay Biscuit mix to make her dumplings.

Generally speaking, I am not a huge fan of mixes.  I find that my mouth/tastebuds are really sensitive to the baking powder in them. In fact, that seems to be all that I can taste and so I prefer to make these things from scratch. I also make my own Biscuit Mix from scratch and it works beautifully. You can find that recipe here.  You can use it for all sorts, even dumplings.

In any case, I made my own cheese dumpling mix for on this soup. I also cut all of the quantities for everything down so that the recipe makes only 3 delicious servings. If you want more, simply double it all.  I hope you enjoy it.  Simple, delicious and hearty.

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CREAMY TOMATO SOUP WITH CHEDDAR DUMPLINGS

Some pretty simple baking and store cupboard ingredients, plus some onion and cheese. This is simple and uncomplicated delicious eating! This recipe makes only three servings, but you can double everything to make more.

For the soup:

• 1 TBS butter
• 1/2 medium onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 1/2 TBS flour
• 1 1/2 cups (360ml) chicken stock
• 1 (14oz/425g) tin of chopped tomatoes in tomato juice
• 1/2 tsp of sugar
• salt and black pepper to taste

For the dumplings:

• 1/2 cup (70g) plain all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• fine sea salt and coarse black pepper to taste
• 1/4 tsp each garlic and onion powder (not salt)
• 2 TBS cold butter
• 4 TBS grated sharp cheddar cheese (plus extra to sprinkle, optional)
• 1/4 cup (60ml) milk

 

Peel your onion, cut it in half and chop only half of it. Store the remaining half, wrapped tightly, in the refrigerator and use within a few days.  Alternately you can chop the whole thing and freeze half in a zip lock baggie to use another time.

I used salted butter.

My tinned tomatoes were the kind in tomato juice, no salt added. The brand was Unico, from Italy. They are very nice.

The sugar helps to take away some of the acidity of the tomatoes so don't leave it out.

You could use self-rising flour for the dumplings in which case I would leave out the baking powder and the salt. Make sure you use onion and garlic powders, NOT salts. 

I used a good PEI sharp cheddar cheese.  You want one with a nice strong flavor to stand up to the flavor of the soup and not get lost.

I used whole milk.

 

HOW TO MAKE CREAMY TOMATO SOUP WITH CHEDDAR DUMPLINGS

This is a really simple soup to make. You can choose to make a smooth version by blitzing with an immersion blender before adding the dumplings or keep it nice and chunky as I have done.  It is delicious either way. Ideally, I would make up the dumpling batter first and allow it to rest while I am cooking the soup. This makes for a nice and fluffy dumpling.

To make the soup, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until softened and translucent without coloring.

Whisk in the flour and cook for a minute, stirring constantly.

Add the chicken broth slowly, along with the undrained tomatoes. Stir and bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add the sugar. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

 

To make the dumplings. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and powders together in a bowl. Drop in the butter and cut it in with a pastry blender until the mixture looks like crumbs with some small bits and some larger bits. Stir it the cheese. 

Add the milk and stir it in to give you a soft dough. Drop by the spoonful on top of the simmering soup.

Cover tightly and cook at a slow simmer for 10 to 12 minutes without peeking. They should be soft and fluffy with holes on top when done.

If desired sprinkle a bit more cheddar over top and allow it to melt before ladling the soup and dumplings into heated bowls.

 

HINTS AND TIPS FOR COOKING PERFECT DUMPLINGS 

If you follow my hints and tips there is no reason why you can't have the fluffiest most delicious dumplings ever!

1. Ideally you can make up your dumpling mixture and leave it to sit for a time allowing it to rest. This will give the baking powder in your dumplings time to activate and allow for a much fluffier result. Do not over mix.  It is ideal for the mixture to look a bit lumpy.

2. Do not compress your mixture. Scoop with a spoon and allow to drop off the spoon onto the hot liquid. You can use either your finger or another spoon to do this.

3. The flour from the dumplings will help to thicken your soup or stew a bit so allow for that.  They will also soak up some of the liquid in the soup or stew, so make sure your dumpling mixture is not too damp. You want it soft and droppable, not too dry, not too wet.

4. Do NOT be tempted to lift the lid and peek while the dumplings are cooking. This can cause them to fall and flatten out. Keep them covered.

5. The dumplings are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and they look a bit dry with small holes or tunnels on the surface.

 

I was really pleased with how this turned out.  I kept the soup chunky so that it would hold up the dumplings. You could blitz it to smooth before adding the dumplings f you wanted to by using a stick blender or a food processor. Be careful as the soup is hot. 

I would make this again. It's almost like a tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwich re-invented!  Yummo!!

   

Dumplings are pretty wonderful additions to soup.  They make for a hearty and delicious lunch or supper option.  Here are a few more tasty soups that include dumplings!

PEA SOUP WITH SHARP CHEDDAR DUMPLINGS - 

This beautiful soup is delicious and hearty. In a pinch you could use tinned pea soup, but from scratch is infinitely more delicious! This is a fabulous soup that is small batched for the smaller family.  I love it.

CORN CHOWDER WITH DUMPLINGS - If you are looking for a hearty lunch that won't break the budget, you can't go wrong with this delicious chowder! A deliciously spicy version of corn chowder, topped with moreish cheesy corn bread dumplings! What's not to love! 

Yield: 3 servings

Author: Marie Rayner

Creamy Tomato Soup with Cheddar Dumplings

Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 35 Min

Delicious creamy tomato soup, filled with flavor an texture, topped with fluffy and lush sharp cheddar cheese and garlic dumplings. What's not to love!

Ingredients

For the soup:

• 1 TBS butter
• 1/2 medium onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 1/2 TBS flour
• 1 1/2 cups (360ml) chicken stock
• 1 (14oz/425g) tin of chopped tomatoes in tomato juice
• 1/2 tsp of sugar
• salt and black pepper to taste

For the dumplings:

• 1/2 cup (70g) plain all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• fine sea salt and coarse black pepper to taste
• 1/4 tsp each garlic and onion powder (not salt)
• 2 TBS cold butter
• 4 TBS grated sharp cheddar cheese (plus extra to sprinkle, optional)
• 1/4 cup (60ml) milk

Instructions

1. To make the soup, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until softened and translucent without coloring.
2. Whisk in the flour and cook for a minute, stirring constantly.
3. Add the chicken broth slowly, along with the undrained tomatoes. Stir and bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add the sugar. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. To make the dumplings. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and powders together in a bowl. Drop in the butter and cut it in with a pastry blender until the mixture looks like crumbs with some small bits and some larger bits. Stir it the cheese.
5. Add the milk and stir it in to give you a soft dough. Drop by the spoonful on top of the simmering soup.
6. Cover tightly and cook at a slow simmer for 10 to 12 minutes without peeking. They should be soft and fluffy with holes on top when done.
7. If desired sprinkle a bit more cheddar over top and allow it to melt before ladling the soup and dumplings into heated bowls.

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