soup | The Mixing Bowl

It’s funny; I was never a big soup eater. When I heard the words ‘Tomato Soup’, the first thing that popped in my mind was the Campbell Soup can. When I think of the Campbell Soup can, I think of processed, salty, fake food people eat that can’t cook (sorry if I offend anyone!). So now that I’m on my meal planning kick and am trying to cook a batch of soup every week or every two weeks, I am trying new things – like this Tomato Basil Parmesan soup. Mr. P. exclaimed with excitement, ‘This may be my new favorite dish!” I also made this soup on Sunday night – well the first half anyways. Enjoy!

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

Ingredients:

2 – 14 oz cans diced tomatoes
1 cup finely chopped carrots
1 cup finely chopped onions
1 T fresh oregano
1/4 cup fresh basil
4 cups chicken broth
½ tsp bay leaf
½ cup flour
1 cup Parmesan cheese
½ cup butter
2 cups half and half, warmed
salt & pepper

Directions:

Add tomatoes to a large pot. Add carrots and onions.

Stir in the chicken stock, oregano, basil, and bay leaf.

Cover and cook on low for 2 hours. Then treat yourself to a little snack like I did – prosciutto and bread. Delish.

At this point, this is when I let it cool and stuck it in the refrigerator for 2 days.

When I was ready to finish cooking…
About 15 minutes before serving melt butter over low heat in a skillet Add flour slowly. Stir constantly with a whisk.

Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup.

Add another 3 cups and stir until smooth.

Add all back into the large pot.

Stir and add the Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, salt and pepper. Add additional basil and oregano if needed.

Cover and cook on low for another 5 minutes or until ready to serve.

Cheers,

Sabrina

I’ve seen recipes for Broccoli Cheddar Soup all over the place. They are all very similar. Here is a recipe I gathered from a combination of places, that excludes the extra salt. The end result is a creamy, chunky soup that blends the delicious flavors of the broccoli, carrots and cheese. It can be served as a first course dish to your dinner or as the whole meal, as it is really filling. It is great served with bread.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. butter, divided
1/2 onion
1/2 cup carrot, chopped
2 cups small broccoli florets
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
½ tsp. garlic powder
2 tbsp. flour
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:
In a large pot, melt 1 tbsp butter over heat.

Add the chopped onion and cook for 3 minutes until lightly browned and translucent.

Next, add the chopped carrots and cook for about 4 minutes.

Add the broccoli, chicken broth, and garlic powder. Let the mixture come to a boil and then turn it down to a simmer. Crack some fresh black pepper and stir.

In another small pot, add the remaining 5 tbsp of butter and flour and cook for 3 minutes until the color has browned slightly. Make sure to keep stirring. Stir in the milk and cook for 5 minutes or until the mixture thickens.