This is, without doubt, bar none, the best tomato soup I have ever tasted. I’ve been making this soup almost weekly to satisfy the craving for the past six months. It’s that good. 

If you have someone in your family who doesn’t like tomato soup, this three-ingredient crockpot recipe is the one you can use to convince them otherwise. It has made diehard fans of me and my boys.

3 Ingredient Tomato Soup

Inspired by a spaghetti sauce that my friend Christi told me about years ago, Marcella Hazan’s Tomato Sauce, this crock-pot tomato soup recipe includes butter as a key ingredient. And let me tell you, it makes a world of difference.

You’ll need just three ingredients to make this recipe: tomatoes, onion, and butter.

The fats from the butter balance out the acidity of the tomatoes and onions beautifully. This is not the sweetly acidic version from a can that you may have experienced as a child. This crockpot tomato soup has a rich, savory taste you will relish.

This is a slow cooker recipe, but you’ll notice I’ve also included stovetop directions. So, feel free to make it however you find the most convenient. I reach for the crockpot most often myself, but for an easy lunch, the stove is my go-to.

Crockpot Tomato Soup

Slow cookers or crockpots are an appliance of which I have more than one. If you are an avid slow cooker user like I am, you might understand the need for more than one. So, let’s talk about my favorites:

First up is this 6-quart slow cooker that has a locking lid. These crockpots are fantastic for transporting foods. Mine has gone everywhere from church potlucks to barbecues, game nights to Thanksgiving dinner. However, fair warning, these slow cookers run crazy hot. Low is closer to a boil than a simmer, the warm setting actually simmers. So trust me when I say HIGH is high.

My everyday slow cooker is this 8-quart Crockpot. It’s my go-to appliance for cooking large roasts and big batches of chili. Fun fact: did you know that a full 4-quart cooker, actually cooks more slowly than a half-full 8-quart cooker?

For just cooking a few pounds of chicken to shred for enchiladas or other smaller recipes, this 3-quart version is perfect.

Thanksgiving has become a breeze since I have mastered how to h

20 Minute Cheesy Caprese Pesto Tarts

I don’t know about you, but I adore appetizers, especially around the holidays. We make these 20 minute cheesy caprese pesto tarts all the time!

It’s easy to make a savory appetizer with puff pastry for gatherings and using a few key ingredients will make it taste like you’ve been in the kitchen for hours. Which is my favorite thing, make people think I’ve worked harder than I did.

We’ve done a whole post on pesto, how to make pesto, how to store pesto, how to freeze pesto, how to keep pesto green, how long pesto keeps, and we have plenty of recipes that use pesto which we will link up to at the bottom of the post. So, refer back to that post if you need to read up on pesto.

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Fisher Nuts, however all opinions remain our own.

What Do I Need to Make Pesto Tarts?

Here is a quick rundown of all the ingredients you’ll need. The measurements for everything can be found by scrolling down to the recipe card below.

For the Pesto

• Basil: you can make your own fresh pesto (highly recommend!) or go with store-bought pesto to save time
• Garlic: fresh whole cloves
• Fisher Walnuts: We use walnuts instead of pine nuts to really push that more nutty flavor in this pesto.
• Olive Oil: make sure it is extra virgin for the best flavor
• Parmesan Cheese: adds flavor
• Lemon Zest and Juice: adds a bright pop of freshness and helps keep the basil green
• Salt: enhances all the flavors

For the Tarts

• Puff Pastry: We use store bought puff pastry because hello, who has time to make that from scratch?
• Grape Tomatoes: You can half them or leave them whole depending on the size.
• Mozzarella Cheese: grab a block of good quality cheese and cube it, it melts so perfectly!
• Black Pepper: adds flavor

Tips About Walnuts

Just as with our classic pesto, the secret to really great flavor is in toasting the nuts and garlic. Walnuts, when fresh are not bitter like you may believe. Instead they have a sweetness to them and with that robust garlic it really makes for a great pesto.

The pesto we will make today is a little different as it uses Fisher Nuts Walnuts. We did a random sampling and Fisher Nuts were preservative free, tasted the most fresh and not bitter since they weren’t past their date of freshness.

Did you know that? That good fresh walnuts taste juicy, nutty and sweet? To store walnuts, I keep mine in the blue bag we buy them in as the dark colored bag actually is best to keep them fresh, then we place them in the kitchen cupboard as light degrades the oils.

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Roasted Tomato Basil Soup with Mini Grilled Cheese “Croutons” [+ Video]

This Roasted Tomato Basil Soup is easy to make, and we topped it with grilled cheese croutons just for fun! A simple dinner that kids will love!

I know that I can’t be the only one that still has tomato coming out her ears. Right? I was wracking my brain about what to do with our huge colander stacked high with tomatoes, when I suddenly thought, what if I use those flavors, but make a soup to help move us into fall?

DING DING DING! Creamy tomato basil soup with mini grilled cheese croutons was born.

I love those little grilled cheese bites that act like little croutons in the soup. I’m not even kidding, it’s so delicious together.

Ingredients in Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

To make this easy fresh tomato soup recipe, you’ll need the following:

• Fresh tomatoes
• Garlic
• Olive oil
• Onion
• Salt and pepper
• Dark brown sugar
• Chicken broth
  • PRO TIP: If you want to make this recipe vegetarian, swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth.
• Heavy cream
• Fresh basil leaves
• Baguette
• Fresh mozzarella cheese
• Butter

The measurements for all the ingredients are listed in the recipe card at the end of the post. I actually love to make several batches of this recipe so I can freeze a bunch to eat throughout the whole winter. There is just nothing more comforting than a warm bowl of tomato basil soup with a little fresh parmesan cheese sprinkled on top and a grilled cheese sandwich on the side for dipping! Yes please!

What Are the Best Tomatoes for Tomato Soup?

We recommend using Roma tomatoes or vine ripened tomatoes for this creamy tomato basil soup. Avoid using beefsteak tomatoes, as we find they lack the bold flavor this soup needs. Larger tomatoes also hold a lot of water which thins out a soup.

Should the Tomatoes Be Peeled?

Peeling the tomatoes is optional but I haven’t ever felt like it was necessary. Roasting the tomatoes softens the tomato skin and blending them breaks them down until you would never know the skins were on. If you do want to peel them, the skins should slide off easily right after roasting the tomatoes.

How to Make Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

Making tomato basil soup with fresh tomatoes is easier than you might think! Here’s an overview of the recipe:

1. Roast tomatoes: Roast the tomatoes until soft and then let them cool a little.
2. Blend: Add the tomatoes to a blender and blend until pureed.
   • PRO TIP: If you have an immersion blender, you can use that instead. Move the tomatoes to a large bowl or sauce pan and blend the tomatoes there. Then they are easily measured to make sure you have enough.
3. Sauté: Heat up some olive oil in a large sauce pot then add the garlic and onions and sauté until fragrant.<

Sautéed Green Beans and Cherry Tomatoes

Harvest the last of your green beans and cherry tomatoes and make this quick and simple side dish that is both healthy and appetizing!

I literally make this dish every month all year long. Snapping beans and the “thunk” of each pod hitting the bottom of a large, white bucket is burned into my childhood memory . We’d busily snap beans for my mom to can during the summer in Washington and then enjoy them all year long.

Nowadays I’ve leaned away from canning a bit and instead savor those summery flavors every month but keeping two basic ingredients in hand, just cherry tomatoes and green beans. So simple and budget friendly!

Recommended Equipment

• Wusthof Knives
• Tongs

Before You Begin…

You’ll want to get started by washing and trimming your green beans and giving them a quick blanch. See section below for how to blanch green beans.

What Do I Need for Sautéed Green Beans and Tomatoes?

You only need a few simple ingredients to make this tasty vegetable side dish.

• Green Beans: fresh is best, either from the garden or grocery store
• Kosher Salt: adds flavor to the water that you boil the green beans in
• Water: used to boil the green beans
• Olive Oil: helps sauté the shallots and vegetables
• Shallot: adds a mild onion flavor
• Garlic: adds flavor
• Cherry Tomatoes: different varieties are best, grape tomatoes also work great
• Salt and Pepper: adds flavor
• Lemon: adds a bright citrusy flavor
• Fresh Herbs: You can use any combination you want. We like to use herbs such as thyme, parsley, dill or oregano.
• Feta: or cotija works too…and the cheese is totally optional

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

How to Blanch Green Beans So They Actually Stay Crisp

Blanching is the process of cooking a fruit or vegetable by quickly scalding them in boiling water then moving them to an ice bath to stop the cooking process. For this recipe, you will only leave the green beans in the boiling water for 2-3 minutes. This is just enough time to cook the green beans until tender but still crisp.

If you let them go much longer, they will start to get soggy and lose their bright green color. By transferring the cooked green beans to a bowl of ice water, they stop cooking and stay crisp for the next step of the recipe.

Do You Have to Trim Green Beans?

You should remove the top end of the green bean. This is the end that was once connected to the plant. It can be quite hard and chewy, so you wouldn’t want to eat it. Some people like to also remove t