Tomato Soup

Early in our marriage I used to make a yummy tomato soup. The recipe came from The American Country Inn and Bed & Breakfast Cookbook Vol. 2 by Kitty and Lucian Maynard.

Here are the ingredients for the Tomato Herb Soup:
1/2 c. olive oil, 3 c. celery, chopped, 2 c. onion, chopped, 1/2 c. flour, 1 46 oz. can V-8 juice, 2 qts. water, 1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes, 1 tbs chicken base, 2 tbs sugar, 1 tsp thyme, 2 bay leaves, 2 tbs parsley, 1 tbs basil, 1/2 tsp pepper and Parmesan cheese.

There are things in the original recipe that I don't eat, but I really wanted some soup like this, so I decided to try altering it. Here's the new recipe:

1/2 c. mix of olive oil, butter, and coconut oil
3 c. celery, chopped
2 c. onion, chopped
1 qt. homemade pasta sauce
1 qt. chicken broth
28 oz. can tomato puree
1/2 qt. water
1 tsp thyme, 2 tsp salt, 2 tbs parsley, 2 bay leaves, 1 tbs basil, 1/2 tsp pepper

Saute celery and onion in oil mixture until soft. Add remaining ingredients, stir well. Simmer 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Homemade Pasta Sauce
3 tbs olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 lbs tomatoes, peeled, cored, seeded cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 tbs fresh basil, chopped OR 2 tsp dried
Salt to taste (about 1 tsp)
2 med. garlic cloves, minced

Saute onion in oil until soft. Add tomatoes. Cook until juice in reduced to desired consistency. Stir in basil, salt and garlic.