Tomato Soup Slow Cooker Style

Yes the cheese sandwich is in a weird position

Since I've been sharing a lot of baked goods lately I figured I'd share a healthier meal idea with you. I don't know about where you live, but the weather has been quite wintry around here lately. Winter is cold and when I'm cold I crave warm soup! Here's an awesome recipe that is really nice to come home to after a long day. It calls for 4-6 hours of cooking, but we've left it in the slow cooker for 8 to 9 hours and it's been fine. There's a little bit of advance prep (about 15 minutes) the night before or the morning of, but it's totally worth it!

Slow Cooker Creamy Tomato Soup
adapted from Slow Cooker Revolution

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 onion, minced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon salt and more to taste
pepper
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
3 cups low sodium chicken broth (plus more as needed)
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup heavy cream (we've made it with less and it's still been good)
pinch cayenne pepper

In a 12 inch skillet on medium high heat, melt the butter. Meanwhile, drain the tomatoes and reserve the juices. After the butter is melted, add the tomatoes, onion, brown sugar, tomato paste and salt. Cook for about 10 minutes until the tomatoes are slightly browned. Add the flour and cook for another minute. Then, whisk in a cup of broth, scrape up browned bits, and move the mixture to the slow cooker. Add the rest of the broth, tomato juice and bay leaves. Cover and cook for 4-6 hours on low. The soup is done once the tomatoes start to break down, but it's fine to leave it a little longer. Puree the soup in batches, making sure to discard the bay leaves first. Transfer the pureed soup to a saucepan and heat. Add cream, cayenne, and more broth as desired. Salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy with cheese sandwiches!