Slow cooker tomato basil soup.

 

I attended a soup party last week and wanted to make a vegetarian option that I could eat but that others would enjoy too.  Tomato soup is just one of the favorite comfort foods that I always go to.  It was a hit with my friends.  This is a great weeknight soup to make in your slow cooker and have it ready for fast dinner when you get home.   Plus this recipe doesn’t use cream so it’s on the healthier side, which I love.   I served it with bread topped with shredded cheddar and broiled for a minute or so.  Grilled cheese would also be perfection!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 cup of diced yellow onions
1 cup of diced carrots, peeled
1 cup of diced celery
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 -28 ounce cans of fire roasted tomatoes (I used organic)
4 cups of vegetable broth (I used organic, low sodium)
Rind of Parmesan cheese (slice it off – rinse it and then add it to the soup)
1 good handful of fresh basil leaves chopped

Optional toppings:  Croutons, toasted bread slices, grated cheese (parmesan), fresh basil

Roux or thickening agent:
3 tablespoons of butter
3 tablespoons of all purpose flour
2 cups of milk (I used almond milk utnsweentened, unflavored) or you can use 2% or whole fat cow’s milk, warmed
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Saute your onions, carrots, celery and garlic in a small sauté pan with olive oil until softened.  This will take about 8 minutes.  Then add that to your slow cooker.  Then add the tomatoes, broth, cheese rind and basil.  Cook for about 4- 6 hours and then remove the cheese rind and discard.  With a hand immersion blender, puree the soup mixture until creamy.  Season with salt and pepper.  In a small sauté pan, melt the butter and then add the flour. Whisk to combine for about 3 minutes.  This is called a Roux and will be used to thicken the soup.  Once this is a nice golden brown color, add a ladle of the hot soup to the roux in the sauce pan-  whisk to combine. Then add the warmed milk.  Again, whisky vigorously to combine. Add this mixture back to the slow cooker and give it a good stir.  This will thicken up the soup nicely.  Taste and adjust seasonings.

Serve with a nice crusty bread or a fun bread bowl.  Enjoy!  Refrigerate leftovers in a tupperware container for up to 4 days.

— Knead to Cook