Gourmet Momma's Tuscan Tomato Soup

I have to give credit where credit is due, and an abundance is due when it comes to Gourmet Momma's recipe for Tuscan Tomato Soup in the 15 minute meals category. I have made this twice in one week and both times have had little to show for it...because the pan has been licked clean, even by my three-year-old! It's the perfect recipe for today's food for thought friday.

This Tuscan Tomato Soup is super quick, super easy, and it's one of those where you can easily buy double the ingredients so you can make it last-minute without an extra trip to the grocery store. (You will need that extra trip if you want to serve it with a side of fresh French bread, but that's worth it!) The first time I made it I served it with a multigrain, brown-in-the-oven baguette. The second time we paired it with grilled cheese sandwiches made with a fresh loaf of French bread. (Note: Wal-Mart's French bread is the BEST for this sandwich!)

One fun thing you can do is take one of those small medicine droppers (if you have kids then you have quite a few of those) and add a fancy drizzle of heavy cream just before serving. I used fresh basil the first time and freeze dried basil the second (just discovered this awesome product). Both were wonderful! You're definitely going to want to add this recipe to the front of the soup category in your recipe box, and if you haven't added Gourmet Momma to your blog reader, do so now. Her 3 ingredient meals are pretty awesome too!

Tuscan Tomato Soup
1 jar (24 to 26 oz) marinara sauce
1 can (19 oz) cannellini (white kidney) beans, rinsed
1 jar (7 oz) roasted red peppers (I used half a 12-oz jar)
2 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 3⁄4 cups chicken broth
1/4 to 1/2 cup heavy cream, optional (This is not in the original recipe but I like my soups on the creamier side. It probably changes the WW point value, so beware!)
1⁄4 cup thin strips fresh basil leaves (or freeze dried basil)
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Put sauce, beans, peppers, oil and garlic in a blender or food processor; process until smooth. Pour into a medium saucepan along with the broth and cream. (After I poured the tomato mixture into the pan, I added the chicken broth to the blender first and hit the button for a few seconds. Then I poured the broth into the pan. It was a great way to make sure I got all that yummy tomato mixture from the inside of my blender into the soup!)

Stirring often, bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Remove from heat; stir in basil and spoon into bowls (or spoon into bowls and then drizzle with heavy cream and top with basil). Grind pepper on top.

"You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces - just good food from fresh ingredients." --Julia Child, 1912-2004