Description
A creamy, comforiting, absolutely delicious soup that may possibly will become your new favorite!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 cup finely diced carrots
- 1 cup finely diced celery
- 1/4 cup finely diced onions
- 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cans (14 oz) diced petite tomatoes undrained (I use Italian style)
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 2 cups half and half, warmed
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1–2 tablespoons sugar (optional)
Garnishes:
- Croutons
- Extra Parmsean soup
Instructions
- In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the carrots, onions and celery and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. When the vegetables are soft, add in the garlic, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Sauté for two more minutes. Add this mixture to your slow cooker. (*If you want to skip this step you can, just leave out the oil and add all the ingredients to your slow cooker, then continue with the instructions.)
- Add the diced tomatoes, chicken broth, and bay leaf. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or high 3-4 hours, until the vegetables are tender.
- About 30 minutes before serving, melt the butter over low heat in a medium saucepan. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is golden, about 5 minutes. Whisking constantly, slowly ladle in 3 cups (about a cup at a time) of the hot soup from the slow cooker. Whisk until smooth and bubbly, (mixture will be thick, almost like mashed potatoes).
- Stir the creamy, hot mixture back into the slow cooker. Add the Parmesan cheese, half-and-half, salt and pepper, adding more salt and pepper if needed. Add sugar 1 tbsp. at a time to help with the acidity of the tomatoes, if needed.
- Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes until ready to serve. Serve with homemade croutons, if desired (and trust me, you’ll want to desire it).
Notes
- Because I have a couple picky eaters, I put my tomatoes in my blender first and give them a few pulses. I also ran my immersion blender through my finished soup a few times to make it a little creamier, again because of my picky eaters.
- Taste the soup before you add the sugar and see if you feel like it needs it. Mine did. Also, I highly recommend using Italian tomatoes, it adds even more flavor.
- This soup can also be done on the stovetop, click here for stove top directions
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Category: Soups/Chili