Tomato Basil Soup

I love La Madeline's Tomato Basil Soup. I love it, but it is not conducive to my never ending efforts to minimize my middle-aged figure.  It is loaded with cream and butter. I have a created a soup that mirrors the flavor without added fat. I clean out the vegetable drawer and use up everything that needs to be recycled into my tummy. It's a great way to sneak in extra veggies and fiber to an unsuspecting husband or child. Get out your stew pot and I'll show you how it's done.

Tomato Basil Soup

In a tablespoon of olive oil saute:

1 cup chopped onions
1 cup of shredded carrots
Add:

2/3 cup minced fresh basil

1 head of chopped cauliflower

2 cans (28 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 Tablespoons of Better Than Bouillon (in the soup aisle)
1 cup of water
Simmer for 20 minutes until veggies are tender.

Add:

8 oz. pkg low-fat or fat-free cream cheese

Puree with stick (immersion) blender until smooth.

Add:
2 cups 1% low-fat milk or fat-free Half-n-Half
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Ladle into bowls. Garnish with basil and serve with bread.
*I like to toast slices of french bread, place one in the bottom of the bowl. Pour the soup over. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top and enjoy!

It tastes better the next day after the flavors have had a chance to blend.  I save my canning jars, put the soup in while warm and store in the refrigerator.  It also freezes well.

This week I took soup to a friend who had surgery and another friend with a newborn. The addition of a pre-packaged salad, fresh fruit, and a loaf of homemade bread made a pretty good spread.
Easy, peasy!