Thanks to Anna Gorman, Child Programs and Extra Helpings Administrator for the recipe and photo
Ingredients:
- 4 tbsp butter OR neutral oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1/2 cup chopped carrot
- 1/3 cup flour
- 2-28 oz cans whole tomatoes, drained and chopped OR 2-28 oz cans diced tomatoes, drained OR equal amount of fresh tomatoes, peeled.
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 cups whole milk
- Salt and pepper to taste
- OPTIONAL SPICES: 1/2 tsp curry powder, 1/2 tsp paprika
Instructions
- Heat the butter or oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the celery, onion, and carrot and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
- Stir in flour. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add tomatoes, sugar, basil, bay leaf, and chicken stock. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Discard bay leaf after 30 minutes.
- Puree 1/3 of the soup at a time in a blender until smooth (if you have an immersion blender, you can do this directly in the pot).
- Add milk and any optional spices. Stir to blend.
Tips
- Make a double batch of this soup and put half of it in the freezer before you add the milk. When you want to have a super quick dinner, defrost the remaining soup and add 1 cup of milk.
- My mom’s original recipe for this soup called for cream; you’ll see here it’s been slimmed it down to whole milk. Feel free to go even leaner if you want, but using a low-fat or non-dairy milk will definitely make this soup thinner and not as creamy.
- Toppings for this soup include, but are not limited to: crushed Saltine or Ritz crackers, feta or goat cheese, a dollop of sour cream or yogurt, croutons, a sprinkle of Parmesan, a drizzle of pesto, or chopped herbs like rosemary, basil, or thyme.
