We made this soup last night. And we have made it three times since we found it two months ago. I think we like it a little bit……possibly. I found it over at 365 Days of Slow Cooking (the link will actually take you to where the recipe lives now). It is so creamy and delicious, and yet feels light too and has a fantastic subtle crunch from the veggies. It’s awesome. We have made it both in the crock pot and on the stove – it is great either way.
Here is the recipe – I organized it a little differently than on the original site so it’s a little easier to follow:
Ingredients
2 cans diced tomatoes (14.5 oz. each)
1 cup carrots (finely diced)
1 cup celery (finely diced)
1 cup onions (finely diced)
4 cups chicken broth (or 4 chicken bullion cubes and 4 cups water)
1 tsp dried oregano (or 1 T fresh)
1 T dried basil (or 1/4 c. fresh)
1/2 bay leaf
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. flour
1 c. parmesan cheese (freshly grated, if possible)
2 c. warmed half and half (or milk – will give you lighter flavor and will be a little bit healthier)
1 tsp. salt
How to:
1. Combine first eight ingredients (through bay leaf) in large pot. Start simmering. OR you could dump all of it into a crock pot and leave it on low for 5-7 hours. Yummy! :)
2. In another pot, melt the butter. When it is melted, whisk in the flour. Wisk continually for 5-7 minutes. Congratulations – you’ve now made a “roux”. If the rest of the soup is in the crock pot, you’ll do this step at the end of the 5-7 hours.
3. At the end of the 5-7 minutes, slowly stir in 1 cup of the hot soup. I like to move the “roux” pot over to the simmering veggies for this part. It will thicken up immediately. Then add 3 more cups of the hot soup. At this point you will have used a good deal of the soup mixture, and it will still be thick at the end.
4. Dump the “roux” mixture into what is left of the soup. Simmer and stir constantly until the soup thickens. Then wisk your parmesan. I actually prefer less than the 1 cup, but it’s up to you. Then add your warmed half and half (or milk) and salt. Simmer this over low heat for 15-20 min.
5. Serve up, and enjoy!!
