Make It Monday Recipe Week 15: Easy Vegetarian Creamy Tomato Soup

My Make It Monday recipe doubles as a Meatless Monday one for this week. This is also a shout-out to my sister, sister-in-law, and daughter who have all gone vegetarian. Though I am not ready to give up my omnivore status, I enjoy many veggie and vegan dishes. This creamy tomato soup goes well with grilled cheese sandwiches. 

My recipe for vegetarian creamy tomato soup is adapted from one of my favorite cookbooks, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, by Deborah Madison. Instead of using regular milk, I use canned coconut milk. Make it vegan, by using either coconut oil or olive oil for the butter.

Ingredients – serves 4-6

2 Tablespoons butter

1 small onion, chopped

1 rib celery, chopped (I usually omit)

1 ½ teaspoons dried basil

Pinch of ground cloves

2 Tablespoons flour

1 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes

Pinch of baking soda

2 cups of vegetable stock, or water

1 cup canned coconut milk, plus up to ½ cup more as needed

Tomato paste, as needed

Salt and ground pepper

*use non-gmo or organic ingredients whenever possible

Method – see photo galleries below 

1. Melt butter in a soup pot and add the chopped onions and celery, if using. Cook for about five minutes, or until veggies are soft.
2. Add basil and cloves and cook another minute or two, then add the flour. Stir for 2 minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes, followed by the baking soda and stock.
4. Lower heat and simmer for ten minutes or so.
5. Add the coconut milk and stir to blend. Add more milk or stock if soup seems too thick.
6. Optional: Add tomato paste if needs more tomato flavor. Use good quality canned tomatoes.
7. Add salt and pepper to taste

Enjoy year around, with yummy dinner rolls or grilled cheese sandwiches!

~Aimee, TFF

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