Cafe Zupa Tomato Basil Soup

1 1/4 cup Pesto sauce, see recipe below
5 1/2 cups diced/ stewed tomatoes – three 14.5 oz cans of diced tomatoes
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup diced onion
2 stalks celery, sliced
3/4 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp sugar (cuts down on acidity)
1 1/3 cup cream or 1 12-oz can evaporated milk

Pesto Sauce Recipe~ blend together until smooth:
2/3 cup fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup slivered almonds
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
3/4 tsp salt

Set crockpot on high so that it can begin warming up while you assemble the soup. If you don’t want to use a crockpot, feel free to use a saucepan instead.
Wash and slice vegetables.
In a frying pan (or just use the saucepan if you’re not using a crockpot) melt butter over medium-high heat.
Add in onion and celery. Cook until vegetables soften, about 5-8 minutes.
Transfer to the crockpot and add in all remaining ingredients, except the cream. At this point the soup doesn’t look very pretty. Don’t worry- it will cook down and all the veggies will meld together. Soon your house will smell amazing!
Crockpot: Cook on high 6-7 hours total
Saucepan on stove: Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to low. Simmer for about 2 hours total.
After soup has cooked for most of the time, I then use an immersion blender to get rid of the remaining chunks of vegetables. Cafe Zupas’ soup is served with some pieces of veggies, but I prefer to blend mine smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can transfer the soup a few cups at a time to your regular blender. I’ve done this before- it’s not as daunting as it sounds!
After it’s smooth, return to pot and cook for the remaining time~ I generally blend it about an hour before serving. Just before serving add the cream or milk.
Top with fresh Parmesan cheese.