Cream of Tomato Soup with Rice

I can't say enough about this soup. I have made it in the past and never posted about it before. The flavor is so rich and the soup is super filling. I made this soup on a Monday and happily ate it for the rest of the week. With or without the sprinkling of basil, this soup is a winner. It's also made of ingredients that I commonly have sitting around in my pantry.

My only warning? Don't start this soup at 9:30pm! I neglected to read the original recipe and didn't notice that it had to simmer for an hour. We wound up eating something else for Monday night dinner, because this soup wasn't ready until almost 11:00 pm. The house smelled amazing, but there was no way I was going to be able to wait until then to eat. I was already in my PJs by the time I ladled this soup into storage containers.

Stay warm this winter and eat lots of soup! Start with this recipe, you'll absolutely love it!

One Year Ago: Deep Dish Chicken Pot Pie
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Cream of Tomato Soup with Rice

Adapted from The Culinary Institute of America - The New Book of Soups

I like to make this soup when we have leftover Chinese food in the house. Why? Because there is always an excess of white rice in each order. You can also prepare the white rice earlier in the week and save some time when making this soup.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup diced carrot
1 cup diced celery
1 medium onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 quart chicken stock
1 - 28 ounce can peeled, plum tomatoes, chopped, juice reserved
1 - 14 ounce can tomato sauce
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 parsley stems
1 small bay leaf
1 cup heavy cream, hot
2 cups cooked short grain rice, cooled
Salt to taste
1/4 cup basil, cut into ribbons

Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, onions and garlic. Stir to coat in oil and let saute until softened, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add flour and stir to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for another 4 minutes.

Add chicken stock and stir to combine. Add tomatoes, reserved tomato juice, tomato sauce and black pepper. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook for 30 minutes. Add parsley stems, bay lead and simmer for another 30 minutes.

Turn off the stove and remove parsley stems and bay leaf. Blend soup in the pot with an immersion blender (or transfer to a blender and blend in portions). Add the hot heavy cream and stir until smooth. Stir in cooked rice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve topped with basil.