Tomato Soup

The kids and I all have stuffy noses...aghhh, here we go.... I needed something yummy and wholesome for dinner. Fresh tomato soup and easy grilled cheese sandwiches fit the bill perfectly.

Now, I hate, hate, hate tomato soup from a can (no offense to anyone out there :)). Using fresh tomatoes makes such a difference in how it tastes and I bet even if you do like canned tomato, you'll love this so much more. As you can see, I used really simple ingredients and it was very easy to prepare. Just note that it does take a while for all of the vegetables to break down and soften.

Hope everyone out there is staying healthy!

Ingredients
6 cups chopped, seeded, skinless tomatoes (*see note)
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup diced onions
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1.5 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 Tbsp sea or kosher salt
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. pepper

*Bring a large pot of water to boil and add the fresh tomatoes. Meanwhile, have a sinkful of very cold water ready. After only about a minute in the boiling water, transfer the tomatoes to the cold water. Peel the skin when they’re cool enough to handle. The skin should slip right off. Cut and seed the tomatoes; set aside. Chop all the vegetables about the same size.

In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil. Add in the carrots, celery and onions and cook until the onions are translucent, about 8-10 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes. Add in the tomatoes, salt, sugar, pepper and stock. Allow to simmer for about 45 min to an hour, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break down and the carrots are soft.

Turn off the heat and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Then puree the soup, either with a stick blender or in batches in a conventional blender. Reheat the soup for another 2-3 minutes and season with additional salt, pepper and/or sugar if needed.

WW Points= 1 (per 1 cup serving)guesstimate