Tuscan Tomato and Bread Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 lbs. fresh tomatoes cored and coarsely chopped, or 3 (14.5-oz.) cans diced tomatoes
• 12 cloves of garlic, minced (2 tbsp.)
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
• 2 (14-oz.) cans chicken broth
• 6 slices whole grain bread
• 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 cups zucchini or yellow squash, chopped
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh oregano
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 oz. Parmesan cheese, shaved

Makes 6 Servings

1. In a 4-quart Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Reserve 1 cup of the chopped fresh tomatoes or, if using canned tomatoes, reserve 1 can of tomatoes. Add remaining fresh tomatoes or undrained canned tomatoes, garlic, and crushed red pepper to hot oil in Dutch oven. Bring to boiling; reducing heat. Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until tomatoes are very tender, stirring occasionally. Add chicken broth. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Cool slightly.
2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 F. Cut or tear bread into 1-inch pieces. Place in a shallow baking pan. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until toasted, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
3. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add zucchini; cook for 3-5 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp-tender. Set aside.
4. Transfer half of the tomato and broth mixture to a blender or food processor. Cover and blend or process until smooth. Repeat with remaining half of the mixture. Return all to the Dutch oven.
5. If using canned tomatoes, drain the reserved can. Add reserved or canned tomatoes, the cooked zucchini, oregano and parsley to pureed mixture. Season to taste with kosher salt and pepper. Heat through.
6. Divide the soup among six soup bowls. Top with bread pieces; garnish with cheese.

WW POINTS VALUE: 7 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the New Sonoma Cookbook. Sometimes a bowl of warm tomato soup is all you need to leave you satisfied.This soup is so deliciously rich you'll think there's cream in it. What makes this soup so rich and creamy is the pureed vegetables. The toasted bread gives the soup an extra kick of crunch. If you don't have any shaved Parmesan cheese, you can always used shredded Parmesan cheese and the soup will still be delicious. You can also toast the bread in a toaster and let them cool until you put them in the soup. The bread and the veggies will quickly fill you up. Since this is the Sonoma diet, the recommended wine to go with this dish would be Sauvignon blanc. Personally, I would drink any kind of  red or white wine with this soup because a glass of wine once in a while won't hurt you. One mouthful of this tomato soup and you'll never buy or eat canned  tomato soup from the store again.