Brrr! I woke up a couple of days ago to discover that someone had turned off the heat! We went from summer to fall in a blink! I’m not a cold-weather person, so while Autumn is perfectly lovely, it’s not my favorite season, because I know what’s coming. (Then again, I did use the phrase “when Summer returns in December…” last night.) Be that as it may, Autumn is the perfect time of year to cook up something warm and comforting for dinner with planned-overs for either another dinner or lunch. Usually, “comforting” equals high-calorie and high-fat, but we don’t want to give up healthy for satisfying. I don’t know about you, but the last thing I want to do when it’s cold is to go outside to exercise. In fact, so many of us come as close as possible to hibernating when it gets cold, and all those pounds we lost in the spring and summer find us – and they bring friends with them! LOTS of friends!
Poking around on Facebook, I discovered this incredible slow-cooked tomato soup recipe. I love some good tomato soup on a chilly day – or any day, really – and it’s not unusual for us to have some cans in the pantry, at the very least. When I found out, though, that I could easily and quickly whip up some soup in the slow-cooker, I got happy and immediately decided to let my family be the guinea pigs for this experiment. Again, this isn’t my recipe, but it’s definitely worth sharing.
(Tomato soup from Sara Nesbitt on Vimeo.)
I have to keep my people to just one serving per meal, especially my teen daughter after soccer practice or a soccer game.
She’s usually famished after being on the field for an hour-and-a-half or so. Here’s the recipe, step-by-step…
Ingredients:
- 56 ounces Diced Tomatoes, Canned
- 2 cups Vegetable Broth/Stock
- 1/2 yellow onion, minced
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 whole Bay Leaf
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup half & half or whole milk
Instructions:
- Add all ingredients in slow cooker in the order listed.
- Turn on slow cooker to high and cook for 3-4 hours. If you are cooking on low cook 6-8 hours.
- Pour 1/2 of the slow cooker into a blender and blend until smooth, repeat with the remaining 1/2 of the soup. Pour all of the soup back into the slow cooker and serve immediately or keep warm until ready to serve.
Using half-and-half, this recipe came up to 143 calories per serving, calculating 8 servings. I prefer cooking this low and slow, turning the heat down to “warm” once the carrots are soft. Pair it with grilled cheese on whole wheat, and you’ve got a wonderful, fairly healthy dinner*. (My health app clocks this one at 400 calories, 55.7 g carbs, 22.5 g fat, and 19.7 g protein.)
Give this one a try, and drop a comment below letting me know what you think of it.
*Caveat… My health goals focus on overall health. I don’t concentrate on reducing any one nutritional element in my endeavors, choosing instead to strive for balance. If you have health needs that require you to watch your carbohydrates, fat, cholesterol, or sodium, it is your responsibility to adjust the recipe to meet your unique needs.
