Hearty Tomato Soup

I have had a seriously bad week and soup always makes me feel better. I found this one on one of my favorite blogs. It was adapted from a Giada recipe. I love almost all Giada recipes so I knew this would be good. It was fantastic! I loved how the white beans added a creaminess to it and still kept it low fat. I would eat this every week, if I could. There was an optional rosemary cream included in the recipe, but I completely omitted it. I thought the soup to be creamy enough with the beans, but you can go to the source, if you want to use it.

Source:http://penniesonaplatter.wordpress.com
Originally adapted from Giada's Kitchen by Giada De Laurentiis

Serves: 6-8

For the soup:
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 15 oz can canellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
3 c chicken broth
1 bay leaf ( I omitted)
1/2- 1 tsp fresh rosemary, minced ( I used dried)
1 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper

In a large pot, melt butter and saute onion, carrots and garlic for about 3 minutes until soft. Add bay leaf, beans, tomatoes and broth, bring to a boil then turn the heat down to simmer with lid on for 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. In batches, ladle the soup into a blender and process until smooth. Return to pot and serve warm.