I have been battling a cold for a few days now, and the weather here has been non-stop rain. At least it hasn’t been too cold to run, just trying to get in a work out between rain showers has been tricky. So, between my cold and the rain I have been yearning for some good comfort food. When I saw this recipe from Two Peas & Their Pod I knew I had to make it. I love their blog, if you haven’t checked it out you really should! I didn’t stray too far from their vegan recipe, but I did not have vegetable broth and used chicken broth instead, I used cashew milk instead of almond and I did feel the need to add a little balsamic vinegar to round out the flavor. It is a keeper!

I started with the classic mirepoix of onion, celery and carrots, diced and heated in a large dutch oven with olive oil. Minced garlic, bay leaves and tomato paste were added after the veggies had softened.

This continued to cook until the tomato paste integrated into the vegetables

The crushed tomatoes, roasted red peppers, broth, sugar, dried thyme and red pepper flakes were added and the mixture simmered for another 15-20 minutes.

The milk and basil were incorporated 

Now it was time to break out my immersion blender.

And that was it! The soup was ready for the bowl. But I wanted comfort food remember? I went back to the Dutch Oven Bread that I made the day before. There was not a lot left but a couple slices would work. I spread them with some pesto and added thinly sliced apples, cheddar, ham, grated gruyere and popped them under the broiler while the soup bubbled away.

This was the meal my cold wanted and my soul needed, and it came together in about 30 minutes!

I garnished with some candied seeds 

If it is still winter at your house, I strongly recommend this recipe! Enjoy!