Tomato Bisque

All summer it was salad recipes and now the weather is warmer I am continuing my quest for healthy and body warming soup recipes. I found another yummy recipe from Skinny Taste and this one is a tomato bisque. I altered it a little by adding basil pesto instead of just basil to the soup mix. And for my husband's bowl I added mini cheese ravioli's to make his a bit heartier. I had a taste and it went well together. 

Tomato Bisque
Adapted from Skinnytaste.com 
 
Ingredients: 

• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 medium onion
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 celery stalk
• 3 cloves garlic
• 30 oz fresh plum tomatoes, peeled
• 32 oz fat free chicken broth, vegetarians use vegetable broth
• 3 sprigs parsley
• 10 basil leaves
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp reduced fat sour cream
• Parmigiano Reggiano for serving (optional)

Directions:

To peel the tomatoes, boil a large pot of water. When boiling, drop the tomatoes in the water to blanch one minute, or until the skin cracks. Quickly remove from the water, let it cool a few minutes and the skin will come right off. 
Chop onions, carrots, celery and garlic using a mini food processor or chopper. Meltbutter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add butter until melted, then addchopped onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook stirring often until soft, about 8-10 minutes. Add chicken broth and tomatoes, stirring well. 

Using a string or a rubber band, tie herbs together and drop into the soup. This will make it easy to remove later. Add salt and fresh pepper, reduce heat to low andsimmer covered for 30 minutes.

Remove herbs and discard, add sour cream and blend with a hand blender until smooth. (A regular blender would work, but be sure to let the soup cool before blending and fill only halfway in the blender so it doesn't explode on you).


Ladle into bowls and top with freshly grated cheese and fresh basil.

Makes 8 cups.