It’s been frigid in the Philadelphia area the last several days and on Friday we got a blanket of snow to boot.  Since we can’t survive off of mug after mug of hot cocoa, why not make a big pot of warm, comfortable soup?  This Winter Tomato Soup just seemed like the perfect dish to make when I just couldn’t seem to warm up.

Made with canned diced tomatoes and tomato paste, this simple soup also has a little milk and non-fat Greek yogurt which gives it a slightly creamy, velvety touch.  If you are expecting a taste similar to Campbell’s Tomato Soup out of the can, you will be disappointed.  No matter how great that canned stuff is, this vegetarian soup is a much lighter and more fresh option (only 76 calories a serving too!).  I’ve never attempted tomato soup before now because honestly I grew up on that Campbell’s soup and love it.  But this was a nice bowl of soup that paired perfectly with a sandwich (which I’ll have for you later this week).

The ingredients:

Heat olive oil in medium saucepan. Cook onion and garlic until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add tomato paste, sugar, thyme, bay leaf, tomatoes, and 2 cups water. Stir together and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes.

Remove bay leaf. Use a handheld blender to puree the soup in the saucepan, or transfer soup to a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth. (If you’re using a standard blender, allow the mixture to cool first; hot liquid may cause the blender to squirt out contents. Depending on the size of your blender, you may have to do this in batches.)

Heat milk in microwave for 30 seconds to warm, and then stir it into the pureed soup along with yogurt. Mix well.

Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:  None

Overall Rating:  Like It

Source:  Women’s Health Magazine