Simple, Healthy, Tomato-Basil Soup

Tomato soup is the ultimate food for the soul. With this recipe, you can indulge without feeling the heaviness of a cream based tomato soup. This soup capitalizes on the main ingredient: tomatoes and leaves the all the calorie dense ingredients behind. This tomato soup is good for the soul and the heart.

Grilled cheese is a fan favourite to accompany a warm tomato soup. For this recipe, I decided to opt for toasted baguette with cheese as opposed to the classic. I prefer the crispiness of a baguette and the ease of dipping it in my soup. Simply slice a baguette, and top each slice with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and cheese of your choice. Bake for until cheese is bubbling at 450 degrees F.

Ingredients

1 large can of whole tomatoes

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 bunch of fresh basil

2 tbsp. tomato paste

1 tsp. brown sugar

2 tbsp. unsalted butter

2 cups vegetable broth

olive oil

salt and pepper

** makes up to 4 servings

Requires

1 large soup pot/Dutch oven

Blender or food processor

Directions

1. In soup pot or Dutch oven, warm 2 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Add the onion and salt to taste, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and translucent (about 7-10 minutes).

2. Add the tomato paste and stir in with the onions. Stir frequently for about 30 seconds.

3. Add the tomatoes and their liquid and the vegetable broth, stir to combine. Increase the heat to medium-high, bringing to a boil, and then reduce heat to let the mixture simmer. Leave on simmer for 30 minutes, reducing the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. Stir occasionally.

4. Remove the pot from the heat and let cool for a few minutes. Carefully transfer the contents to a blender (this may have to be done a few times depending on the size of your blender). Add butter, sugar, several twists of black better and fresh basil. Blend on high until smooth consistency is reached.

5. I like to top this with a cheesy baguette as a garnish (optional). I simply slice a baguette, add mozzarella, salt and pepper, to the slices and bake them at 450 degrees F. for up to 10 minutes.

6. Enjoy!