The Best Tomato Soup I've Ever Made

The weather is beyond frigidly cold, so I know the title of this post stopped you in your tracks...
soup + cold weather = match made in heaven.
I actually made this soup ages ago, but it wasn't until I pulled the leftovers out of the freezer this week that I remembered I never got around to posting it. So, here it is. The best tomato soup I've ever made. 

I'm sure you won't be surprised to know that I found the original recipe in the BBC Good Food Magazine, November 2012 issue.

Why do I love this soup? Let me count the ways...
1. So rich and hearty, you'd think it was bad for you. But, it's not!
2. Loads and loads of hidden veggies make up the base, but you really can't taste them. Which works wonderfully for my super picky 4 year old that won't eat anything green
3. Easy, easy, easy to make. 
4. Perfect for grilled cheese dunkers for Miss T. Also quite nice with grilled cheese croutons for Baby E.

You'll need:
3 tbs olive oil
2 onions, chopped 
2 celery sticks, chopped
3 large carrots, chopped
3 medium potatoes, diced
4 bay leaves
5 tbs tomato paste
2 tbs sugar
2 tbs red wine vinegar
4 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
500g tomato puree
1 litre vegetable stock
1 1/2c whole milk

To do:
1. Combine the oil, onions, celery, carrots, potatoes and bay leaves  in a large dutch oven. Sauté until the onions are softened about 10-15 minutes.

2. Add the tomato paste, sugar, vinegar, canned tomatoes, tomato puree and veggie stock. Bring to a simmer, cover and simmer another 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Remove the bay leaves. Puree with an emulsion blender until smooth. 

3.  Cool slightly before adding the whole milk. Reheat, but do not allow to boil.

By the way, the first time I made this soup, I served it with the suggested cheesy sausage rolls, which were AMAZING. Can not recommend them enough. 
You must try them both!

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until next time,