Was inspired by this recipe (from More Fruit Please) I came across on Pinterest.
Loved the idea because basil is so fresh this time of year. I am trying to keep a little basil plant growing in my sun room (not that sunny though!).
Light Tomato Basil Soup
Makes 4-6 servings
Ingredients:
- 2-3 medium size fresh tomatoes, or 5 small tomatoes, diced
- 1, 28-oz. cans of diced tomatoes
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 cups of vegetable or reduced sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup of plain Greek yogurt
- 1 cup cheddar cheese (or similar), grated
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped, loosely packed
- 1 Tbsp of Italian seasoning blend (sage, oregano, parsley)
- 1-2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- In a large saucepan that can also act as a saute pan, add your olive oil, onions, and fresh tomato. Cook on medium for about 5 minutes until soften. Add your garlic and seasonings. Cook 2-3 more minutes.
- Add the can of diced tomatoes, and vegetable stock. Simmer on medium-low about 5 minutes.
- Measure out your Greek yogurt, and put it in the microwave for about 30 seconds to bring closer to room temperature. This will help it blend in the soup a little better.
- Add the Greek yogurt. Stir well to combine. *It won’t completely blend in. Do not worry, it will still taste OK.
- With an immersion blender, blend the soup in the saucepan. Make sure to keep the blender below the surface of the liquid or you will have soup everywhere! If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can put in normal blender or food processor. But, be very careful with hot liquid as it can cause pressure in the blender, and again, you will have soup everywhere.
- One you have blended it well enough so that you don’t see yogurt bits anymore, stir in your cheese and fresh basil.
- Garnish with a little fresh basil and pinch of cheese.
You can see I didn’t blend mine thoroughly enough. Whoops! Oh well, I don’t always like a smooth texture.
Anyway, this soup was very light and refreshing tasting. The fresh basil gave it that clean taste.
