Winter Soup

I don't know if it's cold where you are, but it sure is chilly in Chicago!  And there's nothing I love more than soup on a cold winter night.  Plus, it doesn't get much easier than this soup, which is a total bonus if you're in a rush or don't feel like cooking and dirtying a bunch of dishes.  We used to regularly eat tomato basil soup from a can filled with sugar, preservatives, and ingredients we couldn't pronounce, not to mention BPA.  Here's Progresso's:

Ingredients: Tomato Puree (water, tomato paste), Water, Sugar. Contains less than 2% of: Corn Syrup Solids, Wheat Flour Bleached, Soybean Oil, Modified Food Starch, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Garlic Powder, Dried Parsley, Basil, Ascorbic Acid, Citric Acid, Natural Flavor.

Yuck!  Why is all that necessary?!  Such a simple soup to make yourself with just some basic ingredients.

Tomato Basil Soup

1 jar (25oz) crushed tomatoes

1 can tomato sauce

1 can full fat coconut milk

1 small bunch fresh basil

Pinch Himalayan sea salt

*organic and fresh is always healthiest, but if you don't have access, that's ok, just do the best you can.  It's too cold to grow basil here right now so I use dried from my summer harvest or fresh from the store.

Wash and chop the basil.  I like to add the leaves to a small prep bowl and use kitchen shears to chop into small pieces.  It's faster and I am much less likely to cut off a fingertip.  ;)

Add the tomato products to a pot over medium heat.  Add the basil and the flavors infuse and simmer about 10 minutes.  Add the coconut milk and salt and combine until smooth and creamy.  Heat through and you are ready to serve.  Great with a small side salad, too!  Enjoy!

Mmm...  homemade tomato basil soup!  Waaay better than canned!