You'd think that after 17-years of marriage and five kids that I would be a crockpot cooking expert. Truth be told, I've never owned a crockpot until this past Christmas (a few weeks ago) when my sister felt compelled to enlighten me in the ways of slow cooking by giving me my first crockpot and a crockpot cookbook. Being a crockpot virgin I worried about everything being mushy and flavorless after cooking all day. Thankfully it just wasn't so with this delicious Tomato-Basil Parmesan Soup I discovered from Karen at 365 Days of Slow Cooking. It was totally delicious and I was shocked to discover that I really enjoyed the chunky, definitely non-mushy texture of it. We served it up with some hot French Peasant Bread and unanimously agreed on a five star rating for this one.
The ingredients:
2 cans (14-ounces each) diced tomatoes, with juice
1 cup finely diced celery
1 cup finely diced carrots
4 cups chicken broth (I used 4 cups of water + 4 chicken bouillon cubes)
1 onion, finely diced
1/2 bay leaf
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 Tbs. dried basil
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1 cup Parmesan cheese
2 cups half and half, warmed
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
Directions:
In a large crockpot, combine tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, bay leaf, oregano, and basil.
Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft.
About an hour before serving prepare a roux: Melt butter and whisk in flour until smooth.
Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup from the slow cooker. Add another 3 cups soup and stir until smooth.
Add all back into the slow cooker. Stir and add Parmesan cheese, warmed half-and-half, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook on low for another hour until ready to serve. Serve with fresh hot bread. Makes about 2 quarts--6-8 servings.
Enjoy!
Click here for printable recipe.
The ingredients:
2 cans (14-ounces each) diced tomatoes, with juice
1 cup finely diced celery
1 cup finely diced carrots
4 cups chicken broth (I used 4 cups of water + 4 chicken bouillon cubes)
1 onion, finely diced
1/2 bay leaf
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 Tbs. dried basil
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1 cup Parmesan cheese
2 cups half and half, warmed
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
Directions:
In a large crockpot, combine tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, bay leaf, oregano, and basil.
About an hour before serving prepare a roux: Melt butter and whisk in flour until smooth.
Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup from the slow cooker. Add another 3 cups soup and stir until smooth.
Add all back into the slow cooker. Stir and add Parmesan cheese, warmed half-and-half, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook on low for another hour until ready to serve. Serve with fresh hot bread. Makes about 2 quarts--6-8 servings.
