Hearty Tomato Soup

Ole Sweetie-Pi and I were out to dinner one night a couple of weeks ago, and the restaurant was offering a cookbook published by one of our local organizations, The Connecticut Valley Home Care/Hospice.  Now, I don't know about you, but I find it hard to resist  tried and true family recipes and an opportunity to support a local organization that does such fine work.  As soon as we arrived home, I immediately sat down down and read it from cover to cover, selecting those recipes that had the most appeal, as well as recipes from the names of those local excellent cooks whose names I recognized.

This recipe was submitted by Bea Carleton, a name I've known a very long time.  Bea was a friend and former workmate of my sainted grandmother, and a woman who was very well known for her excellent recipes.  I have other recipes from Bea via my grandmother's handwritten cards when they used to swap recipes at work.  True to Bea's reputation, this recipe is a keeper.  Both Sweetie-Pi and I loved this simple and hearty tomato soup that starts with the well-loved tomato soup in the familiar red and gold cans.

As good as this was the first day, it was even better reheated the second day.  It makes a good amount of soup, enough for 6 people, I think, perhaps more if you're serving sandwiches on the side.

Hearty Tomato Soup

(Bea Carleton in Recipes and Remembrances, Connecticut Valley Home Care/ Hospice)

1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
2 3-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
2 10-3/4 ounce cans condensed tomato soup
1 1/4 cup milk
2 16-ounce cans whole tomatoes, undrained

Cook and stir onion in butter in a three-quart sauce pan until the onion is transparent, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Remove from heat.

Stir in cream cheese, paprika, basil and garlic powder.

Gradually stir in soup and milk.  Beat with hand beater (or immersion blender) until smooth.

Break up the tomatoes with a fork and stir into soup.

Heat over medium heat without boiling,  stirring frequently, until hot.