Hearty Tomato Soup

I have forever changed my opinion of tomato soup. In the past, I have always thought of the orange-y colored Campbell's soup from the can. I don't even know if I've ever tried it, but I always thought I didn't like tomato soup because of how that looked. Everyone else was enjoying their grilled cheese and tomato soup, and I finally get it!!

This is another recipe that's great for reheating. I froze half of the batch with plans to get it back out in a couple of weeks. Since there isn't any cream in it, it will be fine. You can make the creme fraiche garnish, eat it plain, or put a dollop of Greek yogurt on top, which is excellent. The nutritional info is great on this soup (listed below) and it is packed with vegetables. Enjoy some with your grilled cheese!

Hearty Tomato Soup

from Giada De Laurentiis

Makes 6 serings

2 tablespoons butter

1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 15-ounce can cannellini (white) beans, drained and rinsed

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

3 cups chicken broth

1 bay leaf
1 sprig of fresh rosemary, plus 1 teaspoon, minced  (I used 1/2 tsp dried)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


Optional garnish:
2/3 cup creme fraiche
Zest of one lemon

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and garlic and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in the beans, tomatoes, broth, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon rosemary, and red pepper flakes. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, then cover and reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove the bay leaf.

Puree the soup in a blender in batches. (Remember to leave the lid or the little lid insert off and cover it with a towel so you don't trap the steam in and cause a tomato soup explosion in your kitchen!)  Return the soup to a soup pot and keep warm over low heat. Season with salt and pepper.

For the garnish, stir together the lemon zest, a little dried rosemary, and 2/3 cup creme fraiche.

Nutritional Info (without garnish):

143 calories, 4.6 g fat, 22.4 g carbs, 4.8 g fiber, 5.6 g protein