Simple Homemade Tomato Soup

Serves 10-12 people

Prep/cook time: 10 minutes / 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 Tbsp grass-fed butter

• 2 Cups organic yellow onion, diced

• 5 Organic garlic cloves, minced

• 3 Tbsp organic tomato paste

• 3 Cans organic whole tomatoes with juice (I like San Mariano)

• 1 Tbsp dried organic oregano

• Fresh basil leaves, chopped

• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat olive oil and butter in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions, salt onions, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and tomato paste, saute for 2 additional minutes. Add canned tomatoes and the juice, breaking up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Bring to a low boil then reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup soup directly in the pot (or blend in batches using a standard blender). Season with salt and pepper and serve with a garnish of chopped basil. It goes wonderfully with some crusty bread, croutons or grilled cheese sandwiches. It also freezes very nicely.

Round up: BEST Healthy Instant Pot Recipes

When I first heard about the Instant Pot, I wondered if I really needed yet another kitchen gadget that I would have to find some room for in my cupboard to store and would be forgotten after using it just a couple of times.  When Amazon had a crazy sale for Black Friday a few years back, I decided to go for it. What I didn’t realize is how much it would change the way that I prepare many of my staples, and how much easier and more efficient it would be for me to get healthy food prepped and on the table for my family to enjoy.

Now, it isn’t the perfect product.  It is big and clunky and you do need some space to store it.  It can be dangerous if you don’t follow the directions properly and if you are the kind of person that likes to constantly “check” on what you are making, it may not be the gadget for you.  That being said, it can save you a lot of time and energy in the kitchen.

Below I have curated some of my favorite recipes and some of the favorites of members of my online community. I’ll continue to add to this list so check back often!

Staples

Hard boiled eggs

Bone broth

Spaghetti squash I like to cook mine for 10 minutes instead of 7

Beets

Beans You can sub black beans for the pinto and change up the fresh spices.  I like to add bay leaves to mine. I also will often replace the water with broth if I have that on hand

Hummus

Yogurt

Coconut Yogurt

Whole chicken

Mains

Barbacoa

Beef Bourguignon

Butter Chicken

Carnitas

Kalua Pork

Korean Short Ribs

Lemon Garlic Chicken

Orange-Sesame Chicken

Quinoa Burrito Bowls

Salsa Chicken

Soups + Stews

Beef Pho

Chicken Pho

Vegetarian Pho

Beef Stew I never liked beef stew until I made this recipe!

Chicken Enchilada

Chicken Noodle

Spinach + Lentil

Tomato 

Tom Kha Gai

Turkey Chili

Loaded Mexican Chicken

Sides

Crispy Potatoes

Apple Pie Apple Sauce

Simple Bone Broth

Intimidated by the idea of making your own bone broth?  I gotcha covered.  This is the simplest recipe and is a great introduction to making your own.  The health benefits of this long-time used, the wonderful liquid is plentiful. It makes an excellent addition to an omnivore's diet. It supports digestion, heals and seals the gut lining, boosts immune function, helps bone and joint health, and may even improve the look and feel of your skin. It is quick to make it in the Instant Pot (just two hours) but is easy to make in the slow cooker or in a large pot on the stove as long as you have a bit more time. The recipe below is for the slow cooker or Instant Pot.

Author:  Stephanie Selinger

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 12 hours or longer (slow cooker variation), 120 minutes (Instant Pot)

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 to 3 roasted chicken carcasses (approx. 2 lbs. of bones); include any leftover skin or pan drippings

• 1 medium-sized yellow onion, quartered (unpeeled is fine!)

• 5 garlic cloves, unpeeled

• 4 celery ribs, cut into 2 to 3-inch pieces

• 3 carrots, cut into 2 to 3-inch pieces

• 5 sprigs of fresh parsley (optional)

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 1/2 teaspoons peppercorns (optional)

• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (1 tablespoon per pound of bones)

• 2 to 2 1/2 quarts pure, filtered water

Directions:

1. Add all of the ingredients except the water to a 6-quart (or larger) slow cooker or Instant Pot.* Slowly add the water, ensuring that you don’t go above the liquid limit for your slow cooker or Instant Pot.  Feel free to add more water to the line if you have the room. Cook on low for 12 hours (or longer!) or use manual setting on Instant Pot and change timer to 120 minutes. While still hot, use tongs or slotted spoon to remove large pieces from broth. Then pour broth through a wire mesh strainer to remove the remaining solid bits.

2. Let cool and then ladle into glass containers.

3. Broth can be refrigerated for 4 to 5 days. For extended storage, it should be frozen. It's convenient to freeze it in 1- or 2-cup portions for easy use in recipes or for drinking.

USES: This broth can be used in soups, gravies, or any recipes calling for chicken broth. It is an amazing and healing elixir to drink all on its own too.

NOTE: This is a salt-free broth. If desired, add high quality sea salt to taste.

*If your slow cooker or Instant Pot is smaller than 6 quarts, you can half the recipe by using 1 chicken carcass and half of the remaining ingredients.