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Whip Up A Batch Of This Soothing Soup

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By MARCIA BIGGS

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 2, 2008

For the last couple weeks, I have been on a soft food diet. Thanks to a session with the oral surgeon, I have been living on yogurt, creamy soups, pasta and macaroni and cheese. Ever been there?

It's not a bad diet, really, except the carbs are mounting up. Switching from white to whole-wheat pasta helps a little, and the marinara and pesto sauces can be healthy. Low-fat yogurt is readily available. But the creamy soups can pose a problem if you are trying to keep fat and sodium intake down.

One heat-and-eat cream of broccoli soup I enjoyed had 27 carbs and 890 mg sodium in one 8-ounce serving. After studying nutrition labels, I soon realized that making my own soup would be the way to go since I could control the ingredients.

While I would usually prefer using fresh tomatoes, this quick-and-easy tomato basil soup uses canned, no-salt-added diced tomatoes. It contains no dairy but gets its creamy texture from whirling in a blender.

Next time you need some soothing, whip up a batch and enjoy.

Tomato Basil Soup

2 teaspoons olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

3/4 teaspoon salt

3 (14.5-ounce) cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained

2 cups fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

basil leaves (optional)

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in the broth, salt, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes. Stir in basil.

Place half of the soup in a blender; process until smooth. Pour pureed soup into a bowl, and repeat procedure with remaining soup. Garnish with basil leaves, if desired.

Makes 4 (1 1/2 cup) servings

CALORIES 103 (24 percent from fat); FAT 2.8 grams (sat 0.4 grams, mono 1.7grams, poly 0.4 grams); PROTEIN 5.8 grams; CHOLESTEROL 0. mg; CALCIUM 129 mg; SODIUM 809 mg; FIBER 4 grams; IRON 2.4 mg; CARBOHYDRATE 15.9 grams

Adapted from Cooking Light

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