Slow Cooker Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup
This Slow Cooker Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup is creamy and comforting. It's chock full of fresh veggies and cooks in your slow cooker all day long. This is one of my tried and true favorites and my family literally licks their bowls.
Ingredients
- 2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes, with juice
- 1 cup finely diced celery
- 1 cup finely diced carrots
- 1 cup finely diced onions
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 Tablespoon fresh oregano
- 1/4 cup fresh basil
- 4 cups chicken broth
- ½ bay leaf
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup flour
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups half and half, warmed (substitute milk for less calories)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- optional cooked orzo pasta
Instructions
- Add tomatoes, celery, carrots, onions, oregano, basil, chicken broth and bay leaf to a large slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 5-7 hours or high for 3-4 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft. At this point I added all of the vegetables to a blender and blended until smooth. If you have a hand immersion blender that would work great. If you prefer a chunkier texture you can leave it as is or even blend just some of it. Return blended veggies back to the slow cooker.
- About 30 minutes before serving prepare the roux. Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add the flour. Stir roux constantly with a whisk for 5-7 minutes. Slowly whisk in 1 cup hot soup. Add another 1-2 cups and stir until smooth. Add all back into the slow cooker. Stir and add the Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, salt and pepper.
- Cover and cook on LOW for another 30 minutes or so. You can leave slow cooker on warm until ready to serve. Serve with warm rolls and a green salad. Add a spoonful of orzo to each soup bowl just like they do in the restaurants if desired.
Notes
Source: 365 Days of Slow Cooking