1 Tbs. olive oil
½ cup diced onion
1 Tbs. tomato paste
2 tsp. red wine vinegar
1 15-oz. can crushed tomatoes
2 tsp. sugar
1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)
½ tsp. Italian seasoning or herbes de Provence
1 cup water
Heat olive oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, and sauté 4 to 5 minutes, or until softened and translucent. Stir in tomato paste, and cool 1 to 2 minutes, or until tomato paste darkens and begins to look dry. Stir in vinegar to deglaze pan, and cook 30 seconds. Add remaining ingredients, cover, and simmer 30 minutes.
Blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Serves 4
I need to make this! If I wanted to add fresh raw cream and some shredded cheese, should I blend it in at the very end of step 2?
I’d blend in the cream, then stir in the cheese – you don’t want strands of cheese getting stuck in the blender blades. You could also just stir in the cream as well as the cheese. Just be sure not to boil the soup after the cream is added to be sure it won’t separate.