Do you tend to overlook tomato soup? I do. These days when there is soup on the menu, whether it’s at one of those soup and sandwich joints or any number of restaurants, there usually are plenty of more adventurous items on offer, such as Thai lemon grass curry soup or Morrocan lentil soup. Tomato soup seems sort of humble next to these choices.

But maybe I’m wrong. Because tomato soup remains one of the top sellers at the supermarket, right up there with good old chicken noodle. Clearly, plenty of people still see the appeal.

And recently, so did I. When visiting a friend, I was served a wonderful tomato soup, and it reminded me how comforting and delicious it can be. So I got back on the tomato soup wagon and have been playing around with versions since.

This is the kind of tomato soup that is a meal, especially if you give it a good sprinkle of cheese on top. You also could use all fresh tomatoes, or some fresh and some canned, each of which will give the soup a different character.

You also could use rice or any cooked grain instead of the orzo, and basil or oregano instead of the dill. And if you like a chunkier soup, skip the pureeing and ladle it up.

Using vegetable broth will result in a purely vegetarian, even vegan (skip the Parmesan), soup.