Lesann Berry

I’m a soup fiend. There’s a visual straight out of Scooby Doo. I’m not into complicated recipes so when I find a way to simplify a cooking process, I’m all for trying new things. Mom taught me how to cook from scratch but she also taught me to be frugal and use what was on hand. Thus… creamy tomato soup made with spaghetti sauce was born from my pantry one cold December day.

C’mon, tomatoes are tomatoes – and they come in a dozen different incarnations at the market. You can make yours out of vine-ripened heirloom perfection – I would if I had any available. Sadly, I don’t.

I do have big old jars of sauce intended to be poured over pasta, and since pasta is currently made from evil blood-sugar-spiking carbohydrates, I can’t indulge. I make soup instead. Don’t forget to add or subtract your particular preferences when it comes to ingredients. Soup is very forgiving that way.

Creamy Tomato Soup

• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 T butter
• 1 large jar spaghetti sauce, any kind
• 1 jar-full of water
• 1 C parmesan cheese, grated
• ¼ C pesto
• ½ C heavy cream

Dice the onion and dump it in a skillet where it can sauté amongst the butter. Pour the spaghetti sauce and a matching amount of water into a pot and add the onions once they’ve gone translucent.  Stir in the parmesan cheese, the pesto, and the heavy cream. Heat soup – but do NOT boil – cream dislikes overheating. Simmer until you decide it’s done. 

The numbers are not written in stone – measure everything to your taste. If you’re using a small can of sauce, you probably don’t need as much of the rest of the ingredients. You’re smart, you can do this. Serve with grilled cheese or yeasty dinner rolls. A pound of chunked up kielbasa or pre-cooked ground beef make it a nice main dish. Enjoy!