Roasted Tomato & Basil Soup

One of the best things about homesteading is the bounty of garden goodness that seemingly comes in all at once! Sometimes it's necessary to get creative with what to do with a lot of the same vegetable. For months, I’ve been waiting for my first red tomato, and now I’m picking a basket full each day. With likely a two year supply of salsa, I’m now making tomato soup to enjoy on a cold winter day. After roasting, I’ll follow guidelines to safely preserve the soup in mason jars and store for a later use.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 pounds fresh tomatoes

• 1 handful of fresh basil, to taste

• 2 large onions, chopped

• 4 garlic cloves, sliced

• salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees, F

2. Place the tomato mixture into a large bowl and mix.

3. Place mixture onto a large baking sheet, and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes.

4. Remove pan from the oven once vegetables are softened. Drain off liquid and place tomato mixture into a blender, such as a Vita-mix.

5. Mix on high/puree until contents are well blended.

6. Add tomato paste to thicken or water to loosen mixture.

   *I like mine a little thick so I can add some cream later and it’s not too runny.

From this point, you may can or freeze or just enjoy this fresh soup today.

Slow Cooker Tomato Soup

Nothing says childhood more than tomato soup. It was my favorite growing up, however, it was soup of a can. That paired with a gilled cheese sandwich made me smile. While soup from a can is convenient, it’s loaded with a lot of sodium, and is really not as healthy as the label claims. Preparing homemade soup can seem overwhelming with the abundance of ingredients, however, I promise it’s really easy….and fun. Here is a take on a flavorful soup that can be started in the morning before work and then enjoy it as soon as you get home from work.

Slow Cooker Tomato Soup

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled plum tomatoes with basil

• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce

• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 onion, diced

• 1 red bell pepper, diced

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

• 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt

• 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper

• 1/3 cup heavy cream

• 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place tomatoes into a slow cooker. Stir in tomato sauce, vegetable broth, garlic, onion, bell pepper, tomato paste, oregano, salt and pepper until well combined. Crush the tomatoes into chunks using the back of a spoon.

2. Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours.

3. Puree with an immersion blender until desired consistency is reached. Stir in heavy cream and basil; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

4. Serve immediately.

Tomato and Basil Soup

Tomato soup takes me back to my childhood.  It was, by far my favorite soup, especially with a grilled cheese sandwich.  Even though I rarely eat grilled cheese sandwiches, I still enjoy tomato soup.  When fresh tomatoes and basil in season, it's less expensive to prepare this dish.  Even though the recipe calls for canned tomatoes, feel free to use homegrown ones right out of the garden.  Blending the ingredients together at the end thickens the brew without the need to add flour or milk making it a hearty and healthy choice.

Tomato and Basil Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 TBSP butter

• 1 cup chopped onion

• 3/4 cup sliced carrot

• 3 cloves garlic

• 2 small shallots

• 1/4 tsp black pepper

• 10 large basil leaves

• 3 drained sun-dried tomato halves, packed in oil

• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans organic diced tomatoes, undrained

• 2 cups water

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, garlic, and shallots to pan, and cook 5 minutes or until vegetable are tender, stirring frequently. Add pepper and basil leaves, and cook 5 minutes.

2. Add sun-dried tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and water and bring to a boil.

3. Reduce heat and simmer 1 hour.

4. Remove from heat.

5. Place 1/2 of soup into a blender. Blend until smooth. Repeat with remaining half; OR using an immersion blender, blend until smooth

6. Divide into individual bowls and serve.

Yield: 6 servings