Friday, December 26, 2008

Hearty Tomato Soup with Lemon and Rosemary


Of all the recipes I have posted on this blog, this may be my favorite. If you love a hearty tomato soup, you absolutely must make this recipe. It's very easy, has simple ingredients, and it's packed with lots of flavor. I made it on a rare week night when I cooked. I'm not an exceptionally speedy cook, and it took under 1 hour including clean up.

This soup is also very healthy. Many tomato based soups use heavy cream as a thickening agent. This recipe uses cannellini beans. The beans are packed with nutrition and give the soup a nice texture. I would recommend using a low-sodium chicken broth. It cuts down on the salt, and you won't sacrifice any flavor.

This recipe is from From Giada de Laurentis' Giada's Kitchen New Italian Favorites. Another bonus for this recipe, Giada is easy on the eyes!


Ingredients
2 tbs unsalted butter
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 can (16 oz) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 can(28 oz) crushed tomatoes
3 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf
2 tsp minced fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup plain yogurt
zest of 1 lemon

  1. In a large soup pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and garlic and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 4 minutes. Add the beans, tomatoes, chicken broth, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon of the rosemary, and the red pepper flakes. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes covered.
  2. Puree the soup in a blender in batches, being careful to remove and discard the bay leaf. Return the soup to the pot and keep warm over low heat. Season with salt and pepper.
  3. To serve, place the soup into bowls, dollop each with the plain yogurt. Sprinkle the top with the remaining fresh rosemary and lemon zest. Serve immediately.

From Giada de Laurentis' Giada's Kitchen New Italian Favorites

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Here's a good tip. Use a food processor to whirl the soup, NOT a blender. I made this again last night, and I mistakenly tried to use the blender. HOT STUFF EXPLODES WHEN IN A BLENDER!