Slow Cooker Tomato & Basil Soup

Slow Cooker Tomato & Basil Soup

 

My brother & I are always talking about food. Always. He even calls me Janet (The Gannet). The cheek of it! 🙂

He was describing this magnificent tomato & basil soup that his lovely wife, Lindsay, made one night. Well… I was salivating! I immediately requested the recipe.

Giving Lindsay a slow cooker cookbook for Xmas totally reignited my own love of slow cooking, so I decided to incorporate her soup recipe into a slow cooker dish, which I’d like to submit to Janice (from the delectable Farmersgirl Kitchen)’s Slow Cooker Challenge of January 2013, which is Soup themed! 🙂

Slow Cooker Challenge

 

Here is the recipe, adapted only very slightly (you know what I’m like!):

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Ingredients (Serves 4-6)

  • 2 x onions, diced
  • 2 x cloves garlic, minced
  • 5 x fresh tomatoes, chopped
  • 2 x tins tomatoes (I used plum)
  • 1 x 500g carton passata
  • 1 x tbsp dried basil
  • 1 x tbsp dried oregano
  • 1 x tbsp hot paprika (if you fancy a kick)
  • 1 x tbsp sugar
  • 1 x pint stock (I used 2 vegetable cubes)
  • fresh basil
  • salt & pepper
  • grated parmesan (optional)

 

I switched my slow cooker on to “high” and added my tomatoes (fresh and tinned), herbs & spices, salt & pepper, sugar, onions and garlic. I tore up 10 basil leaves and sprinkled in too.

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Next went in the passata and stock. Giving everything a good, thorough stir, I closed the lid and left to simmer throughout the day (around 5 hours).

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This part is optional, but I wanted my soup extra smooth. I ran it through a sieve to get out any bits.

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Once silky and glossy, I checked for seasoning and added a little more salt & pepper, and another 10 fresh basil leaves. I also (at the last minute) decided to add 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese to give it another depth of flavour.

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I can completely relate to my brother’s insistence on this soup’s magnificence. The lovely, tomatoey scent wafted through the house all day, and I couldn’t wait to sit down to it with some warm, crusty, buttery bread. Divine.

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This is a delicious, healthy meal, and suitable for vegetarians (omit/check the parmesan). What’s more, it’s very freezer friendly. Make a big batch for your work lunches, and see if  any soup makes it to the freezer!

Once again, thank you to my SIL, Lindsay, for the fabulous recipe.

Enjoy 🙂 x

9 Comments

  2. Pingback: January Slow Cooker Challenge Round Up | Farmersgirl Kitchen

  5. Beverley

    Hi, Sorry, I was reading the wrong part. I didn’t realise you asked to put it on first thing before putting the ingredients on. Sorry!

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