Tomato-Blue Cheese Soup

I loved this tomato soup.  I might have even liked it better than my old favorite, Tomato & Basil Soup.  Sheesh!!  I cut down on the blue cheese in this recipe, since my fam hates it.  I used about 2 tablespoons instead of the 1/4 cup.  The family did not know the blue cheese was in there.  I altered the recipe in other ways too, and the result was just wonderful- the soup was rich, thick and creamy.  The blue cheese flavor was not very noticeable, but it added a little kick, and I put a bunch of extra blue cheese in my bowl.  :)  Add a garnish of fresh basil and you have a red, white and green soup for the Christmas season.  :)

The soup is originally Tomato-Gorgonzola, but sadly, good ol' Gorg. is not available here.  Too bad, because I love it.  I think I like it even more than regular blue cheese.  Any blue cheese variety will work here.  We had this for dinner with grilled cheese- made with sourdough and sharp cheddar.  Everyone was in heaven!

Tomato-Blue Cheese Soup

heavily adapted from Allrecipes

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 large red or yellow onion, diced

1/2 cup roasted red bell peppers
2 cloves cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup Blue or Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup low-fat milk
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (14.5 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 cups chicken stock (I used leftover homemade turkey stock)
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1.Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, peppers, and garlic; cook and stir 4 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are soft.

2.Add the cheeses and milk; heat mixture until cheeses melt and the mixture is simmering.

3.Stir in the tomatoes (including their liquid), tomato sauce, broth or stock, basil, sugar, and pepper. Using an immersion blender (if possible), puree soup right in the pot.  Return to heat, and continue to lightly simmer mixture for 10-15 minutes while stirring constantly. Do not boil. 

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