This is the BEST tomato soup you will ever eat. No exaggeration. I’ve been making this tomato-basil Parmesan soup in my slow cooker for several years. I make it for company and serve it with some crusty rolls or focaccia bread and a salad, or I make it for my family and serve it with grilled cheese sandwiches.
This soup also reheats nicely for lunch the next day. I often pack it in my grade school-aged daughter’s thermos so she can eat it at school, and she has declared it is her favorite soup.
During the summer and early fall months, I make tomato-basil Parmesan soup with fresh basil from my garden. I chop and freeze whatever leaves are left on my plant at the end of the growing season and use it in this soup, too. If you don’t have fresh basil, dried basil from your pantry works fine.
This tomato-basil Parmesan Soup is a variation of the tomato soup recipe found here at 365 Days of Slow Cooking. I make this in my slow cooker, but the link includes directions for making it on the stove top as well. Choices are always nice.
This soup turns out best when you puree the finished product with an immersion blender or hand blender. If you don’t have an immersion blender, ask for one for Christmas. You won’t regret it!
Tomato-Basil Parmesan Soup
Ingredients:
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced onions
1 tsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil (I throw the fresh leaves in whole, and they get pureed later)
2 14 oz. cans diced tomatoes with juice
4 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup flour
1 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1/2 cup butter
2 cups half and half, warmed
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Place carrots, onions, oregano, basil, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, and bay leaf in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for about five hours or until vegetables are soft. Remove bay leaf.
2. Take lid off slow cooker and puree soup mixture with an immersion blender or hand blender until smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can eat this soup as it is. It just tastes better with a smoother texture.
3. About 30 minutes before serving, make a roux. Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add flour. Stir constantly with a whisk for about five minutes. Slowly stir in 1 cup of hot soup. Add another 3 cups of soup and stir until smooth. Add all back to the slow cooker.
4. Stir and add Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, and salt and pepper to the slow cooker. Add additional basil and oregano if needed.
5. Enjoy soup by itself or with crusty bread, grilled cheese sandwiches, and/or salad.
