Tomato Soup is on the menu tonight! I am not talking about opening a can of that orange glop, so stop that.  The best part is that you can make it with ingredients from your food storage and it will be healthy and tasty!

1 T olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic (or more if you are brave!)
1 tsp dried basil
1 6 oz can tomato PASTE
2 28 oz cans diced tomatoes
5 cups chicken broth
You also need a regular blender or a stick blender.

Chop the onion and garlic and let them sweat in the olive oil over very low heat until they are tender.  This could take 5-10 minutes.  We aren’t looking for caramelization here, just very soft onion.  Add the basil and stir just until you can smell it.  Add the tomato paste, canned tomatoes, and chicken broth.  Bring it all to a boil.  Once you have a good boil, drop it to a simmer and let it cook 10 minutes or even longer (as long as the heat is really low it will be fine).
 
If you have a stick blender, remove the pan from the heat, take off any clothing that you do not want tomato spattered (it’s gonna happen no matter how careful you are), set the speed to low, and whiz around the pot until the soup is smooth.  If you are using a regular blender, pour the soup into the blender and remove the little cap in the middle of the lid.  Fold a kitchen towel and hold it over the lid – it’s a learned balance of letting air move but containing any eruptions.  Turn the blender on low, whiz the soup until smooth, then pour it back into the pot.  If you did not follow the directions for the regular blender, after you put the soup back in the pot, wash your walls and ceiling with warm, soapy water.

If you have any leftover cooked vegetables in the ‘fridge (or fresh spinach) that you need to use, drop ‘em in and simmer until they’re warm. Serve with grilled cheese sandwiches on yummy bread!

Serves 6. Nutritional information: Calories 132, Fat 4.1g, Carbohydrates 18.5g, Fiber 4.7g, Protein 7.8g. Weight Watchers = 2 pts.