#76 In Progress (11/33)

I was in the mood for soup, so for Recipe #11 I made Tomato Soup with Chicken and Gorgonzola Cheese from Cooking Light.

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1 cup sliced celery (2 stalks)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3/4 pound shredded cooked chicken breast
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 14. oz. can fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup (2 oz.) crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add celery, pepper, and chicken; cook 6 minutes or until mixture is heated through. Add tomatoes and broth; bring to a simmer. Cook 8 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese.

I made a few changes (of course). First, I used fresh garlic instead of bottled (always). Second, I hate the texture of cooked celery, so I substituted 1 cup of chopped fresh spinach. Next, I used one 14 oz. can of regular diced tomatoes and one 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes with garlic, basil and oregano. Lastly, I stirred a couple of teaspoons of the Gorgonzola into the soup at the end of cooking to give it more flavor and thicken it a bit. I also made some homemade croutons to top off the soup.

This was super quick and easy and was really yummy. It had a bit of a kick from the red pepper, but the Gorgonzola is what really makes it great (and my homemade croutons, of course). I will definitely make this again. The finished product: