Tomato Cream Soup with Bacon (Stewed Tomatoes)

This tomato bacon soup is a simple recipe that you can whip up in less than 30 minutes. It's made with kitchen staple ingredients so you can create a delicious lunch or dinner whenever the tomato soup mood strikes. Complete the meal with some garlic Parmesan croutons.

6 strips bacon
1 medium onion, minced
3 ribs celery, minced
2 (28 oz) cans stewed tomatoes
1 cup chicken stock
4 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. Better than Bullion (chicken or beef)
1 tsp. honey or sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground

Garnish:
freshly chopped chives
croûtons

Cut the bacon into 1½" pieces and cook them in a soup pot over medium heat until they're nearly crispy. If there is more than 2 Tbsp. of oil in the pot after cooking the bacon, remove some of it.

Raise the heat to medium-high then add the onion and celery to the pot with the bacon and cook until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes.

Add the stewed tomatoes, chicken stock, tomato paste, Better than Boullion, and sugar to the pot and bring it to a simmer. Lower the heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes, covering the pot slightly if it splatters.

Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the cream. Season the soup generously with salt and pepper.

Serve warm garnished with chives and croûtons, if desired.

Makes 6 servings.

Cook's Notes:  Stewed tomatoes are found near the other canned tomatoes in your grocery store. They're chopped tomatoes that are cooked with onion, garlic and seasonings. In a pinch, you can substitute diced tomatoes (or better yet) fire-roasted tomatoes. If you substitute a different type of canned tomato, you may want to add some Italian seasoning to the soup to give it more flavour.

Nutritional Information:
Serving: 2 cups, Calories: 334kcal (17%), Carbohydrates: 24g (8%), Protein: 8g (16%), Fat: 25g (38%), Saturated Fat: 12g (75%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 70mg (23%), Sodium: 997mg (43%), Potassium: 851mg (24%), Fiber: 4g (17%), Sugar: 13g (14%), Vitamin A: 1300IU (26%), Vitamin C: 26mg (32%), Calcium: 134mg (13%), Iron: 4mg (22%)