Winter Tomato Soup

This soup is so delicious and very easy to make. We made grilled cheese sandwiches on whole-grain sandwich thins (the bread that looks like a really flat bun), using reduced-fat cheese slices. We cut the grilled sandwiches in strips for easy dunking in the soup. Enjoy!

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped (or 1 teaspoon minced garlic from a jar)
2 tablespoons no-salt-added tomato paste
1 teaspoon granulated sugar substitute (i.e. Splenda)
1 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) no-salt-added diced tomatoes, including juice
1/4 cup fat-free milk
2 tablespoons plain nonfat yogurt or reduced fat sour cream

Heat olive oil in medium saucepan. Cook onion and garlic until soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste, sugar substitute, thyme, bay leaf, tomatoes and 2 cups of water. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes.

Remove bay leaf. Use a handheld blender, regular blender or food processor to puree until smooth. (Be careful if using a standard blender, as the hot liquid might spray out.)

Heat milk in microwave for 30 seconds or until warm, then stir into puree along with yogurt or sour cream. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with grated parmesan.