So this has quickly became one of our favorite meals. I googled tomato basil soup and found the Applebee's recipe and decided to try it and WOW! It is excellent. It's a little time consuming, but worth it and the steps don't take a lot of monitoring just timer setting.
Tomato Basil Soup:
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion ( will be pureed so it can be coarsely chopped)
1 teaspoon chopped garlic ( I omit this from mine)
2 28-oz. cans crushed or diced tomatoes (I use 4 14.5 ounce cans of diced)
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
*Side Note: I roast an acorn squash to use as my bowl for soup*
Roasted Acorn Squash:
Cut the acorn squash in half carefully because they are a little harder to cut and scoop out the seeds. I rub a little olive oil on the flesh on both halves. Place in a roasting pan, or cooking dish cut side up. Place about 1/4 inch water in the bottom of the dish to prevent burning or drying out.
Cook at 400 degrees for 1-1.25 hours
*Side Note: start the squash after you start the first step of the soup*
First thing you want to do is put the olive oil in a soup kettle and turn it to medium heat. Add the chopped onion (and garlic) and cooked about a minute. Add the diced tomatoes and the chicken broth. Bring it to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
If you are doing the acorn squash this is when you want to start it in the oven while the above is simmering for the 20 minutes.
After it simmers for 20 minutes, turn off the heat and let it set for 30 minutes.
When the 30 minutes is up either put the mixture into a blender to puree it or use a hand held mixer.
While you are pureeing it you can decide if you want it smooth or leave it a little chunky. It's completely preference. I make mine smooth.
After you get it all pureed add the remaining ingredients and mix it all together. Bring it back to a boil and reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
While it is simmering this is when I start getting ready for grilled cheese sandwiches. I like to try different combinations when doing grilled cheese. This particular time my son had plain havarti, my daughter had havarti and bacon, my husband had havarti, bacon and mushrooms. I like to make my own a little more creative.
*Side Note: If you are doing bacon, place on cookie sheet with aluminum foil and place in the oven. The squash will be done and the oven is already hot. Check on the bacon for preferred crispness.*
For my grilled cheese I cut an English muffin in half and made two different kinds. One half had tomatoes, mushrooms, basil and topped with havarti. My other half had tomatoes, bacon and a Kraft single. I like both of these cheeses because they melt really well due to their texture.
I leave them open-faced and broil them on high on a cookie sheet.
Ladle some soup into a bowl or half of the acorn squash topped with homemade croutons (recipe posted earlier), or of course use store bought croutons, some shredded Parmesan and fresh basil. The way I like to eat it, is eat the soup with some squash and after the soup is gone and some of the squash, I get a second helping of soup.
Another variation I will do is add cheese tortellini to the soup. I use fresh tortellini that I cook in a saucepan and then add to the soup before serving. Simply Delicious
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