Slow Cooker Creamy Tomato Soup

This is such a great recipe. It's one of my favorite soups and of course makes life easier because it's a  crock pot recipe! I adapted it slightly from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. You definitely want to have good bread, grilled cheese, or homemade croutons to serve with this. It's makes a huge batch so plan to share or freeze for another meal.

Slow Cooker Creamy Tomato Soup

Ingredients

• 2 (14-ounce each) cans petite diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 cup finely diced celery
• 1 cup finely diced carrots
• 1 cup finely diced onions
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 (4 tablespoons) butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups fat free half-and-half, warm
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

1. In a slow cooker, combine the tomatoes, celery, carrots, onions, oregano, basil, broth, and bay leaf. Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours until the vegetables are tender. Remove the bay leaf. Using an immersion blender, blend the vegetables to consistency desired.
2. About 45 minutes before serving, melt the butter over low heat in a medium saucepan. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is golden, about 3 minutes. The mixture will be crumbly, but that's ok.
3. Whisking constantly, slowly ladle in 1 cup (or a ladleful) of the hot soup from the slow cooker. Whisk until smooth and bubbly. Add another cup or ladleful and stir again until smooth. Add another cup or two and stir until smooth.
4. Stir the creamy, hot mixture back into the slow cooker. Add the Parmesan cheese, half-and-half, salt and pepper, adding more salt and pepper if needed.
5. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes until ready to serve. Serve with homemade croutons or yummy bread.