Soup Sunday

One of my girlfriends always makes soup on Sunday to have for dinner, and then use as leftovers that week. I love the idea, and it makes lunch for a few days easy for me, especially since I'm at home now. One of our favorite soups is tomato basil. I always try to make recipes a little healthier, and used the recipe below with some modifications. The changes I made are bolded.

This soup was so good, and I will definitely add it into the Sunday rotation.

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/02/dinner-tonight-nordstroms-tomato-basil-soup-recipe.html

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons olive oil (I used less, just enough to get the onion and carrots sauteing in the pan)
• 4 large carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 tablespoon dried basil, crushed (I love fresh basil and added 1 cup loosely packed instead of dry)
• 3 28-ounce cans whole peeled Roma tomatoes
• 1 quart chicken broth
• 1 pint heavy cream (I subbed light cream and used 1/2 just enough to give it, well, creaminess)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Start by chopping up the onion and carrots into a rough chop. Since you'll blend this at the end, nothing has to be chopped into any uniformity. 

Add the onion and carrots into a large pot with olive oil on the bottom. 

Let that saute until nicely browned, about 15 minutes on medium high heat. 

Add the chicken broth and crushed tomatoes. Bring everything to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. I let this sit on the stove for over an hour on low to really reduce and let the flavors meld together. 

It helps if you have a cute sous chef!

Add the basil after soup has simmered- if you add it with the broth and tomatoes the basil flavor won't be as fresh. 

Using an immersion blender (or regular blender in batches), blend until smooth. 

Procedures

1. 1
   In a large, heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add carrots and onion and cook until beginning to soften, 10 minutes, then add basil and cook until vegetables are completely soft, about 5 minutes more.
2. 2
   Add tomatoes and broth, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20-30 minutes, or up to 45 minutes if time permits.
3. 3
   After allowing soup to cool somewhat, purée in a blender or food processor until smooth, doing so in batches if necessary. For a much silkier texture, strain the purée before returning to the pot.
4. 4
   Stir in cream little by little over over low heat, until desired texture is reached and soup is just heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve warm.