Basil Parmesan Tomato Soup

This Basil Parmesan Tomato Soup, from Today's Mama, is the BEST tomato soup I've ever had.  Oh who am I kidding, it's the ONLY tomato soup I'll ever eat.  Even Blockette said it was rockin awesome.  And she is a fellow tomato hater.

One great thing about this recipe is that you can make it on the stove top or in the crockpot.  I forgot to toss the ingredients into the crockpot in time so I opted to make it on the stove.  I chopped all the veggies and had the ingredients all ready to go before I left work.  The whole thing, including simmering time, took about 1 hr from start to finish.

I used veggie stock and skim milk instead of chicken stock and half and half.  I thought the soup was rich and flavorful as it was, but I bet it would be even more insane if you used half and half. 

Here's how to make this rockin tomato soup:

Tomato Basil Soup from Today's Mama
2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes, with juice
1 c finely diced celery
1 c finely diced carrots
1 c finely diced onions
1 t dried oregano or 1 T fresh oregano
1 T dried basil or 1/4 c fresh basil
4 c chicken broth
½ bay leaf
½ c flour
1 c Parmesan cheese
½ c butter
2 c half and half, warmed (or skim milk if you’re trying to cut some calories)
¼ t black pepper
 Add tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, oregano, basil, and bay leaf to lg slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW 5-7 hrs, til flavors blended and veg soft.
 30 min before serving prepare roux. Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add flour. Stir constantly with a whisk for 5-7 min. Slowly stir in 1 c hot soup. Add another 3 c and stir til smooth. Add back into crockpot.  Stir and add Parmesan , warmed half and half, and pepper. Add additional basil and oregano if needed.  Cover and cook on LOW 30 min til ready to serve.

Stove-Top Version:
 Heat oil in 4 qt pot. Add celery, onions and carrots. Saute 5 min. Add basil, oregano, bay leaf, tomatoes, and broth. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. While simmers, prepare a roux. Melt butter over low heat, add flour and cook, stirring constantly, 5-7 min. Slowly stir in 1 c hot soup. Add another 3 cs and stir until smooth. Add back into soup pot.  Simmer, stirring constantly, until soup thickens. Add Parmesan and whisk to blend. Stir warmed half and half. Simmer over low heat 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.