Skinny Tomato Basil Bisque

High in taste, low in guilt. YUM!!!

Baby it’s cold outside again and you know what that means…more soup!

Now before the foodies out there get all riled up, I realize that a true “bisque” contains seafood, most commonly lobster or other shellfish. But I don’t like lobster and I figured that the creamy (yet still healthy!) base of this soup semi-justified the name. Plus, bisque just sounds fun and fancy so there you have it.

I was perusing Pinterest when this recipe jumped out at me. I had pretty much all of the ingredients on hand and it made my mouth water so I knew we had a winner. This one sounded pretty amazing too, so what I came up with is sort of a Frankenstein mix of both recipes.  

Since I can’t—in good conscience—call any dish “skinny” that’s dripping with cream and butter, I decided to make this recipe more waistline- and heart-friendly by using plain, nonfat Greek yogurt and leaving the butter out entirely. Yes, it still contains 3/4 cup of parmesan cheese. But it’s divided amongst several servings so it’s not too terrible. Both of the original recipes called for other veggies (celery, carrots, and onions) but I wanted to keep it simple so I stuck with the tomato-basil-garlic combo. I used chicken broth but if you want to make this soup vegetarian, swap the chicken broth for veggie broth and you’re good to go.  

I know I’ve been on a Crock Pot kick lately—I just can’t help it, it makes life SO simple!!!—but you can use a stock pot and simmer this on the stove just as easily. Take your pick. I’m sure both preparation methods are equally delicious.

Here’s what I came up with.

Skinny Tomato Basil Bisque
Serves 8

Ingredients:
Olive oil spray
2 cups tomatoes, diced (divided use, I used Roma)
1 cup fresh basil, shredded (divided use)
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups plain nonfat or low-fat Greek yogurt
2 cups low-sodium tomato juice
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
3/4 cup parmesan cheese (shaved or shredded)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
½-1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf (optional)

Directions:
Lightly spray a large stock pot or Crock Pot with olive oil spray.

Place 1 cup diced tomatoes, ½ cup basil, and 1 teaspoon olive oil in a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth.

Place tomato/basil puree in pot. Add all remaining 1 cup of tomatoes, ½ cup shredded basil, and all other ingredients and stir well to combine. Cook on low (Crock Pot) for a minimum of 2 hours or on the stovetop over medium-low for the same amount of time. I did about 4 hours in the Crock Pot on low and then switched it to warm until we were ready to eat. Remove bay leaf prior to serving. 

Results:
I just finished a bowl of this delicious bisque as leftovers for lunch and, dare I say, I like it even better today? Don’t get me wrong, it was wonderful last night right out of the Crock Pot with the warm, crusty rosemary bread we enjoyed it with. But today, Wowza! For some reason, it tasted even better.

If you’re looking for a creamy, hearty, delicious soup—without the guilt!—this is the ideal recipe for you.

As always, your feedback is invaluable and I’d love to hear what you think. Please leave a comment on the bottom of this page or share your thoughts on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram (@RyannGroseclose), or any other social media outlet you’d like.

Until next time,
Ryann