Creamy Parmesan Tomato Soup

Last weekend we headed out to the Roughnecks Lacrosse Championship game, and in an attempt to avoid those greasy arena hot dogs I decided to make this soup. I was a little sceptical at first; I’ve never been a big fan of tomato soup as I find them so acidy and often boring. But this soup was not like that, not at all. It was smooth, creamy, rich and full of flavour! It’s definitely going to become a constant rotation in our house, and the leftovers were even better and made the perfect work lunch!

[A hot bowl of creamy, tomato soup]

 [I always do all my prep before I start cooking]

 [Including pre-mixing my spices]

No matter how hot it gets outside, I am always in the mood for soup, but in the summer I am definitely looking for lighter, healthier soups to maintain the healthy diet! In this soup I swapped out heavy cream for 2% milk, I also didn't use any butter for frying. You could play around here, add any veggies that strike your fancy -- or you can make it as is! Once you try it, you might not want to make any changes because it's so delicious as is!

 [Lightly stir-fry your veggies to soften and then add tomatoes, herbs and broth]

 [Let simmer for 15 minutes to really let the flavours come together]

 [Carefully (it's hot!) use your blender to reach desired consistency]

 [Enjoy this delicious soup!!]

Tomato Soup

A light, easy to make soup that comes together un under 40 minutes. Full of veggies and delightful flavours, this is a perfect weeknight dinner

Time:

Prep Time: 10 minutes // Cook Time: 35 – 40 minutes // Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes, with juice
• 1 large tomato, roughly chopped
• 4 ribs celery, diced
• 4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 cups Vegetable broth
• 1/4 c. flour
• 4 TBSP grape seed oil
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 1/4 cup parmesan
• 2 cups milk (I used 2%)
• Salt & pepper to taste
•  

Directions:

• Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat, add celery, onions, garlic and carrots, cook until starting to soften, about 5 minutes. Add basil, oregano, bay leaf, tomato and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until carrots are tender, about 15 minutes.
• While soup simmers, prepare a roux. Melt grape seed oil over low heat, add flour and cook, whisking constantly until forming a loose paste. Slowly stir in 1 cup of soup, then add another 2 cups and whisk until smooth and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes
• Stir back into soup and let simmer, stirring occasionally, until soup is thickened. Add parmesan and whisk to blend, stir in milk, salt & pepper. Simmer over low 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Serve hot, topped with parmesan, if desired.

Recipe adapted from: http://utah.todaysmama.com/2012/03/20/tomato-basil-parmesan-soup-in-the-slow-cooker-or-on-the-stove-top/