Tomato Soup

With our lovely cold, rainy day yesterday, I thought it was the perfect day for soup!  This soup was tasty and really easy.  The original recipe calls for everything to be done on the stove top but after I cooked the onion and garlic, I threw everything in a crock pot and let it slow cook for several hours.  I'm sure the stove top version would be great, too.  I also added Italian seasoning and some basil but I didn't measure it.  I made French bread to go with it and we topped each bowl with a little bit of cheese it was tasty...Jeff even liked this and he's not a fan of tomatoes.  Hooray!

Tomato Soup

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 med. onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 C. vegetable or chicken broth
1 can (28 oz.) peeled tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp butter
Italian seasoning and basil to taste
Croutons to top each serving, if desired (or fresh bread)
Cheese to garnish, if desired

In a 5-to 6-quart saucepot, heat oil on med.  Add onion and cook until a light golden color.  Add garlic and cook for another minute, being careful not to let the garlic burn.  At this point you can add everything to a crock pot, except for the butter, bread and/or croutons, and let it cook on low for 3-4 hours.  If you prefer the stove top, add the broth to the onion/garlic mixture.  Add tomatoes, bay leaves, Italian seasoning and basil, and salt.  Heat to boiling on high.  Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove and discard bay leaves.  Stir in butter.  In batches in a blender, or with an immersion blender, blend soup until smooth.  Serve topped with croutons of fresh bread on the side.
Serves 4

Recipe altered slightly from Good Housekeeping magazine