Tomato Soup

I love tomato soup. Add a grilled cheese to it, and it's one of my favorite meals of all time. It reminds me of Saturdays watching college football with my dad.

Today was the first real snowfall of the year, and after 2 hours of shoveling and playing in the snow, I figured we needed something warm and hearty for lunch. This soup certainly did the trick! And, it beats the pants off canned soup. It's thick and has great seasoning. And, there are even more vegetables in the soup than just tomatoes!


Tomato Soup
adapted from Jane Maynard

• 3 T Olive Oil
• 1 Onion, Small dice
• 3 carrots, small dice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes
• 1.5 c tomato sauce
• 48 oz vegetable stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 1.5 c skim milk
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• Crackers or pita chips for topping, if you're feeling it

1. Heat olive oil in a large soup pot. Cook onions until soft and translucent (5 min). Add carrots and continue to cook another 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute.

2. Add vegetable stock, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15-20 minutes.

3. Fish out bay leaf, and blend the soup until a smooth consistency (either via an immersion blender or in batches in a blender).

4. Add milk to soup, and mix until incorporated. Season with salt/pepper to taste. Top with crackers/pita chips, if you so choose.