Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

As the new year begins I would like to consistently try new recipes.  I am constantly adding more and more recipes to my Pinterest board so I going to make a point this year to try at least one new recipe a month and then share my experiences with all of you.

This month I tried Slow Cooker Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup from 365 Days of Slow Cooking.  I found it on Pinterest.

I ended up having some friends over for dinner so I was a bit nervous about trying something new.  Much to my surprise this recipe was a hit.  I made a few changes to the recipe and next time I will make a few more.  My husband and I ended up eating it all week.  We had several dinners and lunches.

This is what I did that was different from what was on the recipe.

I added 2 quarts of stewed tomatoes that I canned instead of the 2 cans of diced tomatoes.  I did not dice my vegetables small enough so when I pureed them in the blender after cooking them in the crockpot all day they.  I did not sautee them first.  I also used 2 quarts of homemade chicken broth that I canned last spring.

I used Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour for my roux. I had never done this before and it made a nice thick roux.  I then whisked in one cup of the soup from the crockpot and then added 3 additional cups.  I then decided to add it all back into the sauce pot instead of back into the crockpot.  I added the parmesan cheese and the I used 1% milk instead of the half and half.  I was afraid that my soup might not be very thick but it ended up being fine. 

I also used the recommendation to puree the soup in the blender.  I should have done it a little longer because my soup had small chunks of vegetables. It tasted fine but it changed the texture.  Next time I will definitely puree it longer and try to thicken the soup a bit more.

We had cornbread with the soup for dinner.  I made some grilled cheese sandwiches to go with the soup when we ate it the next night for dinner.  I also think the soup would be great topped with some seasoned croutons.

I am excited to try this with fresh garden tomatoes next fall! I may even roast them first and throw in a few fresh bell peppers. 
Fresh garden tomatoes & peppers from 2015 season
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