Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup - Lightened Up

I am all for "healthifying" food as long as it tastes as good as the original. This is precisely the case here. This is not a "healthy meal" by any means, but it does have healthy components, and by cutting  almost half the bad fats out of this sucker and still having it taste great means I can serve it and call it dinner. Yay! With a salad its a very balanced meal. You could easily add and extra carrot and/or celery stalk to this recipe to boost the vegetable factor too, if it tickles your fancy.



So what did I change?

I cut out 5 tablespoons of butter and replaced it with olive oil. I left a bit of butter in since I didn't want to sacrifice that flavor. I cut the Parmesan cheese by 1/4 cup, and half and half by 1 1/2 cups! Seriously. Then, I replaced a 1/4 cup of the flour with healthier whole wheat. But, it doesn't taste like it's missing anything but your spoon.





Tomato, Basil Parmesan Soup - Lightened Up
adapted from Randomthoughtsandthrills 

serves 4

3 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup carrots, diced small
1 cup celery, diced small
1 cup yellow onion, diced small
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes (or 2-15oz cans)
4 cups vegetable stock - or chicken stock
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup all purpose flour (I used 1/4 cup whole wheat flour and 1/4 cup all purpose)
1/2 cup half and half (or you could use 1/4 cup cream)
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated (the pre-grated stuff won't melt into your soup)

Chop all your veggies, and grate the cheese so you will be all prepped for making the soup.

In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter and olive oil together. Add the carrots, celery and onion and saute until soft, about 7 minutes. Add the basil, salt, pepper, and flour and stir for 1 minute. Add vegetable stock, 1/2 cup water, bay leaf and the can of tomatoes with their juices. Turn the heat up and bring to to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in half and half and Parmesan cheese and stir to melt. Taste for salt and add more if necessary.

I am currently wrapping up a three day juice fast so I haven't been in the kitchen much lately. For the record? Juice fasts? CAKE compared to a water fast, which I've also done. I could go longer but I just did it for a little reboot/clean-up, plus, I'm not gonna lie, just because I can do a juice fast with relative ease doesn't mean I don't miss food. I am eagerly awaiting dinner tonight!