Tomato Basil Hidden Veg Soup

So it was wet this morning. It was sprinkling before lunch but not too hard so I decided on walking to the bank instead of driving there. Its a jaunt, I am not going to pretend its a small walk across the street, but there are lots of trees, flowers, birds, and today puddles. By doing the 2 mile round trip with my son who had a blast with the puddles at least, it saved me some time by not needing to hit the gym. I would rather be outside anyways. It was beautiful. There were gray clouds everywhere. The ground was wet, and I am assuming it had gotten windy because the areas around the trees were solid green colored. I wish I had my phone or camera to take a picture of it. It was as if we were walking on a soft green rug. I hadn't ever seen that before. My son had found a stick along the way and had fun scraping the ground noisily and then finding puddles to "clean it off" with. In the end it was nice to get back home because it was chilly.... and chilly in my house at least... means soup. 

Wahoo. Soup. Okay Yes I get excited about soup. Its a problem. I can look for a 12 step program later. First let me tell you about this spicy yummy red soup that I had so much dunking my grilled cheese sandwich into. Yeah okay so I looked like a kid... first puddles and now dunkin' sandwiches... welll at least it was a grown up sandwich and soup. I couldn't believe how creamy and diverse the soup was - or how well my hidden veggies stayed hidden so the basil and tomato combo could shine in the spotlight. Creamy. Spicy. Flavorful. Hot. Cheesy.... Perfect way to end a rainy afternoon.  

My soup inspiration came from: here. I would've never thought to use greek yogurt in a soup had I not read her blog. Brilliant! If you are curious about what the hidden vegetables are click on my red sauce link below. You might be surprised. If I hadn't cooked it myself I wouldn't have thought all those veggies were in the soup. 

Ingredients

1 - 14.5 oz can of roasted tomatoes

1 1/2 cups of frozen red sauce

1/2 yellow onion chopped

2 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp olive oil

1 cup chicken broth, organic

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

Directions:

1. Over medium low heat cook the onion in the olive oil in a small pot for approx 5 minutes until onion is tender 

2. Add in the garlic and stir - just until its golden - 2 minutes 

3. Add in everything else except the diary (cheese & yogurt). I added the frozen sauce directly into pot with the spices and canned tomatoes. By breaking up the big pieces with a spoon, and stirring the liquids over low heat, it was soon was incorporated. You couldn't tell I had used anything frozen. 

4. Put lid on pot, and simmer for 10 minutes. 

5. Smooth out the soup using a blender, food processor or immersion blender. Be careful. Use a towel to secure the blender or food processor lid before blending. 

6. Add the soup back to the pot and stir in the cheese and Greek yogurt on low heat, until combined. 

7. Serve hot with crackers, grilled cheese, or your favorite crusty bread for lunch, brunch or dinner. This would be great easy meatless dinner. Try not to eat it all yourself...

Thanks for sharing my rainy day (sort of) adventures and soup with me. As always... Enjoy yourself and your food. 

From my kitchen to yours!