Classic Dairy-Free Cream Of Tomato And Basil Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon gluten-free all purpose baking flour
3 cups vegetable broth
1 (15 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 bay leaf
1 (13.5 ounce) can coconut milk
sea salt to taste
fresh basil for garnish

Preparation

Heat coconut oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Saute onion in hot coconut oil until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir tomato paste and garlic with the onion; cook and stir until the garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes more.
Sprinkle flour over the onion mixture and stir to incorporate; add vegetable broth, crushed tomatoes, chopped basil, lemon juice, maple syrup, and bay leaf. Bring the broth to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook at a simmer until the tomatoes are completely softened, about 20 minutes.
Turn heat below pot off. Remove and discard bay leaf. Pour soup into a blender. Hold lid in place and pulse blender a few times to get mixture moving before leaving on to blend into a puree; pour pureed soup into the pot and place over medium-low heat.
Stir coconut milk into pureed soup until the color is consistent; heat until the soup is warmed. Season soup with sea salt and garnish with fresh basil sprigs.