Tomato Basil Slow Cooker Soup

I hope your fall is treating you well so far, and you're staying warm with delicious soups and fall foods!

I have started doing a lot with my croc pot because its so easy for me to get up and put the food in and then come home to a hot dinner after class!  I found this recipe for tomato basil soup and it sounded great!  I think with all that is in it that it wold be a better vegetable soup but overall it was pretty good!

Here is the original link, but I will tell you what tweaks I made.

What you need:

2 14oz cans of diced tomatoes, with juice

1 cup of finely diced celery

1 cup of finely diced carrots

1 cup of finely diced onions

1 tsp dried oregano or 1T fresh

1 T dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh

4 cups veggie broth

1/2 bay leaf

1 cup parmesan cheese

2 cups warmed half and half

1 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Roux:

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup butter

Lets Cook:

Add all the veggies, broth, and spices into the slow cooker for 5-7 hours on low

30 min before serving prepare roux:

melt butter in skillet on low heat and add flour

whisk constantly for 5-7 min

slowly stir in 1 cup of  hot soup

add another 3 cups until smooth

put roux into slow cooker with soup, cheese, and half and half

cook another 30 min and then enjoy

I used all the ingredients called for and I thought it was a lot of extra veggies for a tomato soup.  The veggie base reminded me of a chili.  I am not opposed to making a roux but I have never really done it and considering my busy day and unlucky week I decided to skip the roux.  I added the cheese about half way through the day.  I couldn't get much of a cheesy taste after it was cooked and I think the soup overall needed more flavor.  I used a veggie broth instead of chicken and I didn't use quite as much butter.  Even with cutting down on the broth and butter I still ended up with some oily separation on top of the soup.  I don't know how you feel about that but it is not something I am a fan of.  The site with the original recipe mentions that after cooking in a slow cooker for a few hours the spices can get a little bland.  I never thought of that but now I know that before I eat maybe I should add a little more spice.  Let me know if you make it! I would love to know how it turns out with the roux :)

Happy fall bloggers, and happy munching!