Spring has yet to really appear in south-western Ontario. And the last couple of days have been cold. This kind of weather always calls for homemade soup.

Thank goodness I believe and have a well stocked pantry and freezer for least last-minute dinners and creative moments.

I apologize that the pics aren’t up to par 😦 I wanted to eat my dinner hot 😉

Low-Fat Homemade Cream of Tomato Soup with Crab and Goat Cheese Recipe

approx. 4-6 servings

Homemade Tomato Soup with Crab and Goat Cheese

Ingredients

• 2 cups of puree fresh plum tomatoes or 1-28 fl oz. can of whole tomatoes, pureed
• 2 cups of vegetable or chicken stock, homemade or store-bought, low sodium
• 1 can of fat-free evaporated milk
• 1-2 8 oz. cans of V8 juice, or 2 cups of V8 juice (**explanation below)
• 1 can of chunk crab meat
• 1/4 to 1/2 of the log of goat cheese, crumbled plus 1 tbsp per portion for garnish
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 1 tbsp. of olive oil
• 3-4 leaves of fresh basil, chopped
• 3 sprigs of fresh thyme, stems removed and finely chopped
• 1 tomato, seeded and diced, for garnish
• salt and pepper to taste
• Ace Bakery croutons for garnish

Gather your Ingredients

Pureed Tomatoes

Canned Crab, shallots, garlic, tomatoes and fresh herbs

In a pan sweat the shallots in olive oil until translucent then add garlic. Add the canned crab meat season with salt and pepper and heat until crab is warmed through.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Place chicken stock, V8 juice and tomato puree in a soup size pot on medium heat. Whisk in crumbled goat cheese until incorporated and then simmer on low.  The soup consistency may appear “curdled” but this is from the goat cheese being added. * Tip: To alter you can puree with an immersion blender but it is not necessary for taste only appearance.

Stir in the can of evaporated milk to the tomato soup base. Reduce to low heat.  Once the milk is added do not let the soup boil….it will curdle the milk.

The soup is now ready to serve. Add the tomatoes, herbs to the crab/shallot mixture. * I reserve this step until the end so the tomatoes and herbs will remain their “fresh” texture but are warm.

Serve in a bowl and garnish with approx. 1 tbsp. of crab tomato mixture, crumbled goat cheese and Ace Bakery croutons.

Homemade Tomato Soup with Crab and Goat Cheese plus a side of Grilled Cheese 😉

Tip: This homemade soup can really come together quickly if you complete the prep ahead.  This is called “Mise en place” which translates to ‘everything in its place’ in the professional kitchen. This consists of chopping, cleaning, measuring etc. and it is a key component to being efficient in the kitchen.

**I purchased 50% off fresh whole plum tomatoes from the supermarket, pureed and frozen them for future use. I find that the colour, flavour and definitely the texture is different from canned tomatoes. This is the reason I have added the V8 juice to my soup.  It added that little bit of zing and a boost of colour to make it more appealing to the eye. You can easily chose to remove.