There’s everything right about tomato soup in the Fall! Now, bump up the volume a bit with a smoky flavor and you’ve got yourself a true crowd pleasing soup! Serve with toasted whole wheat or GF croutons sprinkled with garlic powder and top with some sliced green onions.

Serves 6-8

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 medium carrots, finely chopped
  • 3 stalks celery finely chopped
  • 1 whole medium-sized onion, finely chopped
  • 4 cloves minced garlic
  • Crushed red pepper, to taste
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp. liquid smoke (optional)
  • 2 teaspoons unbleached flour to thicken (optional)
  • 1 cup beer (optional)
  • 28 ounces diced or crushed tomatoes
  • 1-2 cups no or low salt vegetable broth
  • 2-3 sliced green onions

Instructions

  1. Heat a soup pot to medium heat. Add the carrots and celery. Cook for 5 minutes to soften slightly and add a small amount of stock.
  2. Add the onion and cook for 5 more minutes. When the veggies are soft, add the garlic and a dash of salt, cooking for two more minutes, then add the paprika and as much crushed red pepper as you’d like.
  3. Sprinkle the flour over the veggies, and stir together with the seasonings. Add the beer, the liquid smoke (if using), stir and turn the heat to medium-high.  Allow the liquid to reduce by half, then add the tomatoes and 1/2 cup of stock.
  4. Cover the pot, reduce heat to medium and let simmer for 10-20 minutes until the veggies are softened to your liking.
  5. Blend the soup until nearly pureed in a high speed blender or food processor. Taste, and adjust salt or other seasonings. If the soup is too thick, add more stock a little at a time to achieve the desired consistency.
  6. Before serving, top with sliced green onion.