Tomato Florentine Soup

🧂 Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion

  finely chopped
• 2 carrots

  peeled and diced
• 2 celery stalks

  diced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cloves garlic

  minced
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons Italian dried herbs
• ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes

  or red pepper flakes, optional for a bit of heat
• 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes

  2 x 14 oz cans
• 4 cups vegetable stock

  or chicken broth, you can use water and stock cubes
• ½ cup heavy cream

  or half-and-half
• 5 cups fresh baby spinach

  about 110 grams or 4 oz
• 6 basil leaves

  chopped or torn
• Grated Parmesan cheese
• Croutons
• Chickpeas
• Cooked chicken

  diced or shredded
• Extra fresh basil leaves

Instructions

• 1 Prepare the sofrito base: Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
  Add the chopped onion, celery and carrots, and season with a teaspoon of salt.
  Saute until soft and translucent, about 7 minutes.
• 2 Season and simmer: Stir in the minced garlic, dried herbs, pepper, and chili
  flakes (if using). Stir to combine and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Pour in
  the crushed tomatoes and stock/broth (or water and stock cubes). Stir well to
  combine all the ingredients.
• 3 Cook the Soup: Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer
  for about 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
• 4 Blend for texture: If you prefer a smoother texture (I do), use an immersion
  blender to blend the soup until smooth. If you like it chunky, you can skip this
  step or blend only a portion of the soup.
• 5 Add the cream and spinach: Stir in the heavy cream (or half-and-half) and bring
  the soup back to a gentle simmer. Add the fresh baby spinach and cook for
  another 2-3 minutes until the spinach is wilted and tender.
• 6 Season to taste: Taste the soup and season with more salt and pepper as needed.
• 7 Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls, and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. Top
  with chickpeas or diced cooked chicken for extra protein, if you wish. Garnish
  with fresh basil leaves.

Nutrition Info