OK, so I LOVE tomatoes! I make tomato sandwhiches on toasted multi-grain bread, marinate in olive oil and vinegar, slice up with a little salt & pepper, eat right off the vine in late summer when my plants are giving me some delicous ones and sometimes just pick one up and eat like an apple with a little salt.

I have not ventured to make tomato soup because I love the Campbell’s Harvest Tomato with Basil. But since I have been on a health journey, those highly processed canned soups just won’t do anymore.

Not only is this a delightful treat to the tongue  the cooking process increases the antioxidant activity in tomatoes, which can offer you certain health benefits. Cooked tomatoes are low in calories and fat and supply you with a some protein and fiber.

Tomatoes are also good source of lycopene – an antioxidant can reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer and macular degeneration. The cooking process brings out more of the lycopene making it a significant source of the antioxidant*. Tomatoes also contain other antioxidants, such as beta-carotene, that help fight cell damage that can cause cancer, heart disease and other chronic health conditions

And with only 6 ingredients, an easy soup to whip up.

Harvest Tomato Basil Soup

Prep: 15 min
Total: 60 min
Servings:  6-8

Ingredients

• 3 lbs of ripe tomatoes (plum or roma are great to use)
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• 1/2 stick of unsalted butter
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup sour cream (or cream or yogurt)
• 1 cup fresh basil (20-30 leaves chopped)
• 1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)
• sea salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

Instructions:

There are two ways to cook your tomatoes- Roasting and Simmering. I did the 1/2 roasted & 1/2 simmered method. You can do all one way or the other, what ever your preference.

Roasting method:
Take 1/2 the tomatoes and cut lengthwise. Toss with olive oil. Place on a baking sheet – 1 layer only. Roast for approx. 45 minutes.

Simmering method:
Take 1/2 the tomatoes and chop. On medium high heat, sautee the tomatoes with the butter and bring to a simmer. Lower heat and let simmer for about 30 minutes. Add in basil during the last 10 minutes to simmer in the flavor.

Final preparation:

Add both roasted and simmered tomatoes to a large bowl and blend together with an immersion blender. Add 1/2 cup sour cream and blend again briefly. This will whip it up and you will have a light and airy soup. If you don’t want so airy, stir in sour cream after blending tomotoes. (You can also use a blender.)

Pour back into soup pan over lower heat and add the black beans. (I add these to give a boost of protein to the soup and because I love black beans too.)

Serve with a garnish of crispy basil and sea salt/cracked pepper to taste. Good with sour dough bread for dipping too.

This soup is great in Round 2.
Added turkey sausage, sautee’d portabello mushrooms and cripsy basil – yum #2.