Homemade Tomato Soup

Tired of canning tomatoes, running out of jars, but still have plenty in the garden?? Here’s a great recipe – just like those expensive cartons of tomato soup, but you control the ingredients and use up those sun-warmed garden tomatoes.  I grow a flower box of basil just to use in tomato recipes like this.

Freezer Tomato Soup
1 pound onions -- thinly sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
6 pounds tomatoes -- peeled and quartered
Homemade chicken broth or water, Add to Tomatoes to Make 13 Cups total
2 (6 oz) cans tomato paste
1/4 cup fresh basil -- snipped
1 teaspoon thyme -- crushed leaf type
1 teaspoon Sugar -- or Splenda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce**
Cook onion in hot oil until tender. Stir in all ingredients. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 40 minutes, stir occasionally. Puree mixture with blender stick. until the consistancy you like, or run through your blender in batches after cooling some. I leave ours a little chunky.  Cool, pour into freezer containers, ( I use quart freezer bags) and freeze.
To serve, thaw, cover and cook until heated through. If still frozen, cook as directed over medium-low heat for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
"Yield: "6 Pint Jars" or 12 cups
COST in Summer 2010: Cost with garden tomatoes and basil is $ 6.05 or 68 cents per pint with purchased onions.
Per 1 cup Serving: 122 Calories; 6g Fat (37.4% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 18g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 634mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 3 Vegetable; 1 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.
**Louisiana Hot Sauce (800 299-9082) www.brucefoods.com is Gluten Free