Creamy Tomato Soup

The weather where I live is pretty hot all year-round so when we get even a touch of cool, dry air, we pull out the "winter" clothes, open all the windows and break out our favorite soup recipes. I mean, soup just doesn't taste the same when it's 90 degrees out. I made this soup on one of those rare cool days and we practically licked our bowls clean. In fact, I wish I had made more to freeze because we've had about 5 cool days in a row and it's been marvelous! Next time. This soup is just the right amount of tangy and creamy and not too acidic. You'll love it!

My notes: As I said before, I wish I had made more if this, so I would double the recipe and freeze the left-overs. The recipe will feed a family of 4, though. I had to puree the soup in a few batches because it was so hot, so I equally added the cream cheese with each batch, a little at a time, and it worked out well. I didn't have fresh basil, so I used a few teaspoons of dried basil and it was great. I would definitely serve this with a fancy grilled cheese panini! Or, use it as an appetizer to your meal! Either way, this is a winner.

Creamy Tomato Soup (from OurBestBites.com)

1 T real butter
1 C chopped onion
¾ C shredded carrot
1 T minced garlic
1 tea sugar
¼ tea pepper
¼ tea salt
4 Fresh Basil leaves plus some for garnish (or substitute 1-2 t dried basil, see note below)
1/2 C sliced sun-dried tomatos, packed in oil with herbs
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (14oz) can chicken broth
3 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped onion, shredded carrot, and garlic, and cook for 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring frequently.
2. Add sugar, pepper, and salt and cook 2 more minutes. Then add sun-dried tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and 4 basil leaves.If you're substituting dried basil, the rule of thumb is 1/3 part dried herb = 1 part fresh so for this recipe you can eyeball it, but I'm guessing you'd want to add about 1-2 t dried basil
3. Stir to combine and finally add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cover, and reduce heat, and simmer 30-40 minutes.
4. Remove from heat. Place soup in blender (do this in 2 batches if necessary). Add cream cheese. Remove center piece of blender lid to allow steam to escape, but place a paper towel over opening in blender lid to avoid splatters. Process for a couple of minutes until very smooth.
5. Divide soup among bowls and garnish each serving with a sprinkle of shredded Parmesan cheese and a basil leaf.

Tortellini Sausage Soup

I just made this tonight for dinner and my hubby and I both loved it! It was easy to make, healthy and delicious! I just found this recipe from Our Best Bites and I'm so glad I did. I've included a picture so you can see what the end result looks like.

My notes: I just made a couple changes to the original recipe. I don't have a garlic press so instead of mincing the garlic myself, I grated it into the pot using my box grater. Also, I used 1 medium zucchini instead of two. I shredded both up and thought it looked like a ton of zucchini so I used about half and I think it was perfect. Other than that, I followed it exactly. Enjoy!

Tortellini Sausage Soup (from OurBestBites.com)

3 links Italian sausage

4 cloves pressed garlic

1 onion, diced

½ c. water

2 cans chicken broth

½ c. apple cider (don't leave this out! I did once and it wasn't the same...)

1 16-oz. can diced tomatoes

1 8 oz. can tomato sauce

1 c. sliced carrots

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. dried oregano

2 medium zucchini, grated (great way to use your food processor if you have one)

8-10 oz. package cheese tortellini (check the freezer section of your grocery store; if you can find it there, it will almost always be way cheaper than fresh tortellini. Also, Barilla makes a great dry cheese tortellini)

2 Tbsp. dried parsley (yes, that's two tablespoons)

If you're using link sausage, remove the casings and crumble into a large soup pot. To remove the casings, you can use a sharp knife to cut a slit down one side of the sausage and then peel back the casing. Begin cooking sausage over medium heat, stirring frequently. If your sausage is pretty fatty, you'll want to drain it when it's about halfway cooked.

Meanwhile, chop onions and garlic and add to the sausage. Continue cooking until onions are translucent and your sausage is cooked. Your house will smell heavenly.Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, juice, water, chicken broth, carrots, oregano, and basil. Cover and simmer for 1/2 hour. Add parsley and zucchini and simmer for another 15 minutes or so.Add the tortellini and cook until tender, and then serve with bread and freshly-grated Parmesan.

Pasta e Fagioli

I love this soup for so many reasons. I feel like I sound like a broken record, but it's cheap to make and so easy it's stupid. My favorite thing about this soup is that it tastes JUST like the Pasta e Fagioli from the Olive Garden, which I love way too much. It's savory, a little spicy and so comforting. This recipe makes 4 quarts of soup so you can easily freeze this for another day! I think it tastes even better when all the flavors have time to get acquainted. I got the recipe from a message board a few years ago when I was on this diet called First Place. So, it's healthy too!

My notes: This calls for ground beef but you could certainly use ground turkey...sometimes I prefer the turkey against the beef. Please, oh please, drain the beans. After making this so many times I'm not sure I can ever use the gunk (what is that liquid anyway?) that the beans are packed in. It grosses me out. Drain and rinse please-and-thank-you. For the spaghetti sauce, I usually use Hunts Traditional sauce. It doesn't come in 32oz cans, so I use one whole one plus about half of another. I usually use ditalini pasta, like the Olive Garden does, instead of shell pasta. I also use dried parsley. You must serve this with crusty bread...there will be so much goodness at the bottom of your bowl that you'll want to sop up. TRUST ME! :)

Pasta e Fagioli

Serves: 12

Ingredients:
1/2 cup water, divided
1 lb. extra lean ground beef
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup carrots, slivered
1 cup celery, diced
2 14.4 ounce diced canned tomatoes
1 cup canned red kidney beans, drained
1 cup canned white kidney beans, drained
5 1/2 cups beef stock
2 teaspoons leaf oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
32 ounces spaghetti sauce, no sugar added
4 ounces dry shell pasta

Preparation: Saute beef in 1/4 cup water in a large 8-quart pot until beef starts to brown. Drain. Add 1/4 cup water onions, carrots, celery and tomatoes and simmer for about 10 minutes. Drain and rinse beans and add to pot. Also add beef stock, oregano, pepper, Tabasco, spaghetti sauce, and noodles. Add chopped parsley. Simmer until celery and carrots are tender, about 45 minutes. Makes about 5 quarts of soup! Make at least one day before serving for best flavor. Freezes wonderfully. Serving size 1 1/2 cups.