My daughter raves about this soup. I'm including the oil as stated in recipe, but you don't have to use. Substitute water or white wine for sauteeing.

  • 6-8 slices French bread
  • 2 T olive oil (Remember: 1 T oil contains 9 grams of fat and 120 calories. Not good!!)
  • 1 large yellow onion, finely diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 lb ripe tomatoes, peeled and seeded, then diced
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped basil leaves, plus 6-8 whole leaves
  • salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 cup vegan parmesan cheese
  • 1 tsp coarse salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp heaping sugar

Preheat oven to 300. Place bread on baking sheet and bake until lightly browned, turning once for a total of 10-15 minutes. Set aside.

In large soup over medium heat saute the onion in either water or white wine till softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking for 30 seconds.

Add the tomatoes and veggie broth, raise heat to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, cover the pot and cook till tomatoes are softened. About 30 minutes! Remove pot from the heat.

In a blender or food processor, puree the soup in batches, leaving a bit of texture if you so desire. Then return the pureed soup to larger pot. You can also use an immersion blender to blend soup right in soup pot. Return the soup to medium heat, and reheat gently. Add the chopped basil and season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, place a slice of toasted bread in soup bowl, ladle soup over bread, and sprinkle with vegan grated parmesan, and top with 2 basil leaves.

Makes 6-8 servings.