This is one of those soups that once we discovered it, we made it over and over again. It’s good served with bread or biscuits, as a main dish, or in small bowls as a first course. (It’s hard not to go back for more, though!)  Alice and Grandmama are big fans of this soup – in other words, it’s yummy enough for kids and sophisticated enough for grown-ups.

INGREDIENTS
2 28-oz cans whole tomatoes
1 T beef or vegetable based “Better than Bouillon”
1 T raw honey or sugar
1 t salt
pepper
1 bay leaf
1/4 t dried basil
1/2 c butter or earth balance
1/3 c cornstarch/tapioca/coconut flour mix or regular flour
1 quart milk or almond milk

DIRECTIONS
Place tomatoes in a soup pot. Heat to a simmer and stir in the bouillon, honey or sugar, basil, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Simmer 30 minutes. Cool slightly, then blend until smooth.
Make a roux: melt the butter, stir in flours, then whisk in milk. Stir into the tomato mixture.  Heat gently, and serve.

I often make this using a mix of milk and almond milk, and butter and earth balance, but you can go full-on dairy or completely vegan, and it’s still yummy.

INGREDIENTS
1 lb Italian pork or chicken sausage
3 cloves garlic
3 large leeks, washed and chopped (including the tender parts of the green stem)
3 stalks of celery, chopped
2 carrots, diced
1 t salt
1 16-oz can of whole tomatoes
8 cups beef or chicken broth
1 cup good red wine
2 t dried basil
1/2 t dried thyme
1/3 cup rice -or- 3 diced Yukon potatoes – or  – 1/2 c pasta (gluten-free or regular)
parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS
In a soup pot, brown the sausage. Drain some of the fat, and add the leeks, garlic, celery, and carrot, and salt. Sauté over medium low heat until  soft. Stir in the tomatoes, breaking them up with the back of a spoon. Add the broth, wine, basil, and thyme. Simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes. Add rice or potatoes or pasta and simmer 20 minutes more. Add more water if needed. Top bowls with parmesan cheese.