Minnesota Tomato Soup

Last fall the hubs and I spent one exhausting day in the kitchen and garden, and at the end of it all we had 32 quarts of Minnesota Tomato Mixture in our cellar.  Every time I open a jar it tastes exactly like fresh tomatoes from the garden.  Since I woke up to a fresh coat of snow in the backyard this morning, I decided today would be a perfect day to open up a jar of summer and make some homemade tomato soup.

Minnesota Tomato
Mixture

Minnesota tomato mixture is a canned tomato sauce consisting of heirloom tomatoes, celery, onion, green peppers and salt.  If you are like me and enjoy home canned tomatoes, this mixture is definitely the way to go - it works with absolutely every recipe!  I promise to do a post on it next fall while I'm harvesting and canning tomatoes, but this soup recipe is written assuming you are using either one quart of home canned tomatoes or canned tomatoes from the supermarket.

I have to admit, this was my first experience making homemade tomato soup.  I usually pop open a little red can and call it good, but I was craving something fresh and summery and I decided to go for it.  I'm so glad I did!  The result was a smooth and flavorful soup, fresh and simple, exactly the way it should be.  It goes great with some curried polenta.  Enjoy!

Minnesota Tomato Soup

1-28 oz can diced tomatoes, drained

Note: if using home canned tomatoes, do not drain

1 cup vegetable broth

1/4 cup chopped bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup chopped onions

1 carrot, diced

1 tsp garlic, minced

2 bay leaves

1/2 tsp salt or to taste

1/4 cup fat free half and half or milk, optional

Mix together all ingredients except half and half.  Simmer for 20-30 minutes or until vegetable are quite tender.  Remove bay leaves and discard.  Puree soup in a blender or use an immersion blender to desired texture.  Return to pan, add half and half, and heat through before serving.