Valentines Day Tomato Basil Soup Food

CREAMY TOMATO BASIL SOUP

Steps:

• Add oil to a large soup pot over medium high heat. Once hot, add carrots, onions, and celery and sauté them for a few minutes.
• Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken broth, oregano, and dried basil. Bring to a gentle boil and cook for several minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
• Use an immersion blender or regular blender (you may need to do this in batches, depending on how big your blender is) to puree the soup until smooth. (This step is optional, if you like a smooth soup). Return it to the soup pot.
• In a separate pot, prepare the roux. Add butter to the pot over medium low heat and allow to melt. Stir in the flour and whisk together constantly for about 10 minutes or until the roux is a nice golden brown color.
• Add a big ladle full of the soup to the roux--it will start to form a thick paste. Add a few more big scoops of soup to the roux and stir well until smooth. Add the roux mixture to soup pot and stir to combine.
• Stir in the parmesan cheese, half and half, salt, pepper and basil. Add additional oregano and basil if needed, to taste. Stir well. Cook for a few more minutes until warmed through.
• Store tomato basil soup covered in the refrigerator for up to one week.
• Try it served in a yummy homemade bread bowl!

VALENTINES DAY TOMATO BASIL SOUP

Steps:

• Place tomatoes and juice in a stock pot. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes
• Puree tomatoes, juice, and basil and return to stock pot (immersion blender works great here)
• Put the pot over medium heat and stir in the cream and butter.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve with freshly grated parmesean cheese.

TOMATO BASIL TORTELLINI SOUP

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and carrots; cook and stir until crisp-tender, 5-6 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Transfer to a 6- or 7-qt. slow cooker. Add the tomatoes, broth, sugar, basil and bay leaf. Cook, covered, on low until vegetables are tender, 6-7 hours., Stir in tortellini. Cook, covered, on high 15 minutes. Reduce heat to low; stir in cream until heated through. Discard bay leaf. Serve with Parmesan cheese and basil. Freeze option: Before stirring in half-and-half, cool soup and freeze in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally; add half-and-half as directed.

ROASTED TOMATO BASIL SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss together the tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread the tomatoes in 1 layer on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes.
• In an 8-quart stockpot over medium heat, saute the onions and garlic with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the butter, and red pepper flakes for 10 minutes, until the onions start to brown. Add the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, and chicken stock. Add the oven-roasted tomatoes, including the liquid on the baking sheet. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. Pass through a food mill fitted with the coarsest blade. Taste for seasonings. Serve hot or cold.

VALENTINE TOMATO PASTA SOUP

Steps:

• In 2-quart saucepan, mix soup, vermicelli and water. Cover; cook over medium heat until soup comes to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vermicelli is of desired doneness.
• Meanwile, with 2 1/2- to 3-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut shape from each toasted bread slice.
• Top centers of individual servings of soup with toast hearts. With aerosol can of cheese spread, pipe "I" on left side of heart and "U" on right side of heart.