Tomato Soup

Here is the recipe for the BEST Tomato Soup I’ve ever had:

(Forewarning: this soup is a little time-consuming, but oh-so-worth it!)

Cream of Tomato Basil Soup
2 (28 oz) cans of whole tomatoes (reserve juice)

2 TB brown sugar

4 TB butter

1 small onion chopped

2 TB tomato pas

t2-3 TB flour

2 (15 oz) cans or one carton of chicken stock/broth

2 fresh red peppers roasted

*1 cup prepared pesto

1 1/2 cups half and half (low fat or fat free substitutes fine)

*Note: to roast peppers, cut them in half, clean out the seeds, and place them skin side up on a broiler pan. Broil them for about 20-25 minutes or until you notice the majority of the skin turning black. Don’t be alarmed, they’re not burned! Remove from oven and let cool. When cool enough to handle, peel off the black skins, and cut in large chunks. DO NOT skip the red peppers, they’re the secret ingredient!

Directions:

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Line baking sheet with foil. Squeeze the seeds out of tomatoes and discard. Arrange the tomatoes on a baking sheet and sprinkle them with brown sugar. Bake until liquid is evaporated and tomatoes caramelize (about 30 min).

Heat butter, onion, and tomato paste in large pot. Saute until onions soften. Add flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually add chicken stock and reserved tomato juice. Bring to a boil. Add tomatoes and peppers and puree until smooth with an immersion blender, or remove from pot in small batches and puree in a food processor or blender. Return to pot, simmer 15 minutes. Five minutes before serving, add pesto and half and half.

The roasted red peppers add a delicious crisp texture to the soup and will have people begging for the recipe. It’s pretty much a gimme you’ll never go back to canned tomato soup again!

amanda- found recipe here- see more pictures of this delicious meal