Best Cream of Tomato Soup

This is ultimate comfort food for me. Serve with home made bread or a salad and its also great with a BLT. I like leaving the skin on the tomatoes, but you can scald and remove the skins first if you want. The same goes for the potatoes--peel on is fine.

• Ready In: 1 hr 15 mins
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1⁄4 cup tomato paste
• 2  cups  chopped ripe tomatoes
• 2  cups  diced potatoes
• 2  cups  minced onions
• 2  cups beef broth
• 1⁄2 teaspoon pepper
• 1  teaspoon basil
• 4  tablespoons flour
• 2  cups milk

Directions

1. In a large pot cook the tomatoes, potatoes, onions, pepper, basil and tomato paste in the beef broth for 30 minutes or until very soft.
2. Make the cream sauce while the vegetables are cooking. Over low heat add the flour to the milk and cook to thicken. Stir almost constantly.
3. Working carefully and in small batches transfer the broth and vegetables to a blender and puree. This is hot do not burn yourself.
4. Return to the pot and add the cream sauce. Stirring well. (As an alternative you may add the cream sauce to broth in the blender while pureeing).
5. Adjust pepper and basil to taste.