Easy Tomato Soup

The past few weeks have been cold and breezy here in the Deep South. In fact, our weatherman said last night that temps have been 20-25 degrees below normal for this time of year!

On days like those, I like to serve my family warm, nourishing lunches. Comfort food, if you will. And what could be more comfort-like than tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches?

This quick, easy soup can be ready in just a few minutes. I like to let it simmer for 20 minutes or so to let the flavors blend, but really all you have to do is combine the ingredients and heat them up. Lunch is served!

Here's what you'll need:

1 can (28 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups chicken broth
2 teas dried basil
1 teas garlic powder
1 teas onion powder
1 teas dried oregano
1 teas sea salt
1/2 teas black pepper
1 cup milk or cream

In a sauce pan, combine the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, broth and seasonings. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10-20 minutes.

Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth. If you don't have an immersion blender, pour about half the soup into a blender and puree until smooth. Repeat with the rest of the soup. Be careful, though. Hot stuff in a blender can erupt like a volcano.

 Stir in the milk or cream. Serve!