Olive Garden at Home and the BEST Tomato Soup EVER!

My husband loves tomato basil soup. I've made it from scratch many times and always try new recipes because I just haven't found one I completely love, or one that we BOTH completely love.  Well, the search ends here, tonight because this recipe is the best.  I found it on....wait for it.... pinterest!  The author of the blog also claims it to be the best so I couldn't resist.  The blog is Everyday Occasions and the soup is delicious. I suggest you just plan on making this whenever you're in a tomato soup kind of mood - forget the canned stuff!

The Best Tomato Basil Soup


Ingredients

3 cloves of garlic, minced (I used 4 cloves because I have a garlic addiction)

2 tablespoons of olive oil (I used coconut oil because it is my new experiment)

2 - 14 oz. cans of crushed tomatoes

1 - 14 oz. can of whole tomatoes  (I used a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes)

2 cups of stock (I used vegetable)

1 tsp of sea salt

1 tsp of sugar

1/2 tsp of fresh ground black pepper

1/4 cup of heavy cream (I used fat free half n half)

3 tablespoons of fresh basil, julienned

parmesan cheese (use fresh, it's just better)

Directions

In a saucepan, saute garlic in olive oil on medium heat for 1 minute - being careful not to burn the garlic.  Add the crushed tomatoes.  Add the whole tomatoes one at a time, squeezing them into the pan to break them up.  Add the juice from the whole tomatoes, as well.  Add stock, salt, pepper and sugar.  Cook the soup on medium at a simmer for 10 minutes. **At this point I ran an inversion blender through the soup because I like it smooth and not chunky.**  Then reduce the heat to low and stir in heavy cream and basil.  Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.

And a salad...

Copy Cat Olive Garden Salad

We had this soup with an Olive Garden-esque salad.  I found a copy cat recipe for the dressing years ago so I can't give credit, but I've seen similar recipes on pinterest.  

The dressing:

1/2 cup mayo (real stuff, none of that Miracle Whip business)

1/3 cup vinegar

1 tsp. vegetable oil

2 Tbsp. corn syrup

2 Tbsp. Parmesan, shredded

2 Tbsp. Romano (I've used more Parm or Mozzarella when in a bind)

1/4 tsp. garlic salt

1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp. parsley

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Process in a food processor, blender or with an inversion blender. Enjoy!

The salad:

Chopped romaine

Mild banana peppers

Sliced red onion

Black olives

Tomato

Croutons

Shredded Parmesan

The soup is only 84 calories for a 1 cup serving! Out of laziness, I just entered "Olive Garden Signature Salad" into My Fitness Pal and it said one plate was 200 calories.  I think a cup of this rich, hearty soup with a plate of tangy, flavorful for under 300 calories is a steal!  I had a piece of homemade beer bread and found it to be an exquisite meal!