My hubby asked me to recreate a creamy tomato soup that he had tried in a restaurant that had savory bits of vegetables and cheese in every bite. After some experimentation, I came up with the following recipe, full of sautéed peppers and onions, with scrumptious morsels of cream cheese mixed throughout. It makes a nice large batch, so there are plenty of yummy leftovers to eat for lunches. Serve it with some warm cornbread, and it makes a light but satisfying meal. My family keeps gobbling it up when I make it, but I'll add a picture to the recipe soon!
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
2 heaping tbsp. tomato paste
2 tbsp. red wine (optional)
1&1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
2 cups milk
4 tsp. butter
1/4 cup flour
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
In large soup pot, sauté the peppers and onions in the olive oil until tender. Add minced garlic and sauté until golden.
Add chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, salt, sugar, and seasoning. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20-30 minutes.
Meanwhile melt butter in small saucepan. Stir in flour. Slowly add milk. Stir constantly until mixture boils and thickens slightly.
Stir the milk mixture into the soup. Bring back to a gentle boil. Add the softened cream cheese and stir until broken up into small bits. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Yield: About 16 cups
*Sometimes my family likes to add crumbled turkey bacon, for a delicious flavor twist.
