La Madeleine’s Tomato Basil Soup – Copycat Recipe

One of my very favorite soups has always been La Madeleine’s tomato basil soup. This recipe is the closest replica of the soup we’ve ever tasted – we discovered it after modifying a tomato sauce recipe a friend introduced us to. We love it, and I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we do.

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons butter 
• 1 1/2 cups carrot, chopped
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 1 28-oz. can tomato sauce
• 1 small can tomato paste
• Fresh basil, chopped (we use about 14 leaves, but adjust according to your taste)
• 1 small carton of cream or half-and-half
• salt/pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan.
2. Add the carrots and onion, and saute until they are translucent (keep stirring them so they don’t get very brown).
3. Add the tomatoes, basil, and salt/pepper and stir. Cover and simmer on low heat at least 20 minutes (but you could let this go all afternoon), stirring occasionally.
4. VERY carefully blend the sauce with an immersion blender until smooth. I used a blender the first time but quickly discovered how much easier it was with an immersion blender – clean up was a cinch! Use whatever you have on hand, though. Either one will get you to the same end result. If you’re using a blender, you might want to let the soup cool a bit first.
5. Enjoy! Serve with freshly-grated Parmesan and a crusty loaf of French bread. Yum!