Homemade Tomato Soup

Ultimate comfort. Today was kind of a blah day. I am tired and this growing belly of mine is starting to make things, like bending over to pick up toys, difficult. I was actually quite excited to try this soup and today was perfect. It was so warm and comforting. And the satisfaction of it being homemade is nice too. We had it with meat loaf sandwiches on whole grain toasted bread. Luckily, there are some leftovers for tomorrow's lunch. :)



1 15 oz can chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil, plus 2 more Tbsp
Kosher salt and ground pepper
2 Tbsp butter
1 stalk celery, diced
1 small carrot, peeled and diced
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Set oven to 450 degrees.

Strain the chopped canned tomatoes, reserving the juices, and spread onto a baking sheet, season with salt and pepper, to taste, drizzle with 1/4 cup of the olive oil and roast until caramelized, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the celery, carrot, onion and garlic, cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the roasted tomatoes, reserved tomato juice, chicken broth, bay leaf and butter. Simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add basil. Puree in batches in the blender or use an immersion blender.

Yields 6 servings.

Rookie’s Notes: Immersion blender? It’s okay- I don’t have one either. But I do have a blender. Make sure you let the soup cool for about 5 minutes. Pour it in to the blender, put the lid on but not all the way. Leave it open just a little to allow steam to escape. Hold a towel over the top and pulse a few times. Then let ‘er rip and blend until smooth. You most likely will have a small spill, but that is what the towel is for.