Easy Creamy Tomato Basil Soup (Crock Pot It)

So this soup is... Beyond delicious. I've made this for my family many times, as well as for teachers at our local school during parent/teacher conferences. It's easy and tends to be quite the crowd pleaser. I mean, MY KIDS will eat it and I feel great about it, because my picky 3 year old slurps down all of these wonderful veggies.

Here is the original recipe from Tastes Better From Scratch. I've made a few alterations, including crock-potting it, so feel free to head to the initial creator and browse through her other amazing recipes!

Servings : 8

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 2 14.5oz cans diced tomatoes
• 1 jar of roasted bell peppers, drained
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 3 ribs celery, diced
• 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon dried Oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup flour (all purpose)
• 1 cup grated parmesan
• 1 1/2 cups half and half (or whole milk if that's what your littles drink and have that around)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1. Add oil to pan (or I use my sautéed feature on my crock pot). Heat to hot - Add carrots, onion, and celery until cooked (I prefer my veggies a little browned here and there). For smooth soup (which is what my kids prefer), take out and blend in blender until smooth. Return to crock-pot.
2. Blend in the blender diced tomatoes and bell peppers (drain first) and add to crock-pot.
3. Add to crock-pot tomato paste, chicken broth, oregano, salt, pepper, and dried basil.
4. Set on low to get everything simmering and blended taste - I tend to make it in the afternoon when my kids are at school and set on low for about five hours until dinner time.
5. Right before serving: In a separate pot, prepare the roux. Add butter to the pot over medium low heat and allow to melt. Store in the flour and whisk together constantly for about 10 minutes or until the roux is a nice golden brown color.
6. Add a big label full of the soup to the roux - it will start to form a thick paste. Add a few more big scoops of soup to the roux and stir well until smooth. Add the roux mixture to crock-pot and stir to combine
7. Stir in the parmesan cheese, half and half, and fresh basil.
8. Serve and enjoy!

Can be stored in an air tight container for up to one week!