Tomato Artichoke Soup

I'm a planner. Not surprisingly, I plan our meals a week in advance, However, there are the occasional meals that just seem to slip by me.  I had no plans for dinner tonight but after taking stock of what we had in our kitchen (and perhaps more importantly, what was not there), a delicious-sounding tomato artichoke soup recipe that I had saved fit the bill.  Pair that with the prosciutto, mozzarella and smoked gouda in our fridge as well as the homemade pesto in our freezer for a panini and a green salad to round it out, dinner was sounding better and better.

This soup didn't disappoint.  It had great flavor.  We loved it the way it was although Bryant suggested adding some steamed clams for more of a Manhattan-like clam chowder variation. Additionally, the original recipe calls for all the soup blended but we like our soup on the chunkier side so I only blend half of the soup.  Blending half gave the soup a great creamy consistency but with lots of chunks of tomatoes and artichokes.

It was as if I had planned dinner all along.

Tomato Artichoke Soup
Taken from: A Couple Cooks
Serves 4-6

• 2 tablespoons butter 
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 bay leaves  
• 28 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained (I used Muir Glen's no-salt tomatoes)
• 15 oz can artichokes, drained
• 1 cup water (I used 1 cup of water and 1/2 cup of chicken broth for a little extra flavor)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 
• 1 teaspoon dried basil 
• 1 cup milk (I used skim)
• salt and pepper

 Extras:

• grated parmesan
• croutons (try homemade)

1. In a large soup pot, heat 2 tablespoons butter. Sauté the chopped onions, minced garlic and 3 bay leaves until the onions are translucent.
2. Chop the artichokes into smaller pieces. In the soup pot, add the artichokes, tomatoes (including the juice), water (and chicken broth), oregano and basil. Simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove bay leaves.
3. Using an immersion blender (or blender), blend the soup to a smooth consistency. Add 1 cup milk. Serve immediately, topping with croutons and a little parmesan, if desired.
   *When reheating, make sure to heat the soup thoroughly but do not bring to a boil.