Homemade ((Quick)) Creamy Tomato Basil Soup
Whew! These back to school days are hard on this old gal. The clock seems to enjoy turning 5, just to see the look on my face as I realize this one, annoying truth: I have no plans for dinner. Blah.Well, the night we had this soup was in fact one of those frequent moments in my week where I had NOTHING in mind for dinner.
Now, what that looks like in this house is this: every single protein is frozen solid to 10° above zero. It is more likely to be used as a weapon than a meal solution. Unfortunately, leftovers are looking a little fuzzy and to top it all off, momma is tired ((and probably stinky)).
It is a pitiful sight … one you would think I would try to avoid, but I hate to deprive the clock of the entertainment of watching me suffer. So changes to this crazy routine likely aren’t coming any time soon.
David’s response to this? “Let’s just eat out.” Well, the world doesn’t need to see a tired and stinky momma, so that is out.
Out of necessity, I came up with this simple, TASTY soup. After tasting it, I was surprised I had never made it before – being that it was ready in a flash, didn’t need any protein & (have I mentioned) it was yummy!
I started with the triple combo of finely diced carrots, onions & celery and sautéed them in a little olive oil for 5 minutes.
Once the veggies were slightly tender (I wanted to keep most of the crunch but also extract some of the flavor), I added 6 oz of Cabernet Sauvignon and allowed the alcohol to evaporate. After the alcohol was cooked out, I added the chicken broth, crushed tomatoes & tomato sauce.
Letting these ingredients boil for a few minutes helps reduce the “canned/acidic” flavors that are pretty obvious at this point.
Last, I added one can of evaporated milk, 4 oz. of heavy cream, 4 oz. of light cream cheese, a chiffonade of homegrown sweet basil and seasoned to taste.
I stirred and covered for 10 minutes ((and turned off the flame)), stirred once more and then served. It delicious – and really saved the day. I could tell that the clock was disappointed — it had only moved 20 minutes since I first had the “what’s for dinner?” panic!