Savory Sun King Soup

You can make an entire crockpot full of this soup or scale the measurements down to make a smaller batch if needed. It is gluten-free, and you can substitute olive oil for the butter if you prefer to avoid dairy.

Ingredients

3 tbsp. butter (use real butter, not margarine)

1 small onion, diced

1 shallot, diced

4 garlic cloves, pressed and chopped

3 quarts tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and pureed (if tomatoes are out of season, use four large cans of tomato paste)

1 box vegetable broth

1 cup orange juice, no pulp

A few sprigs of rosemary

Salt and pepper

Directions

Sautee the onion, garlic, and shallots in the butter over low heat. Cook them until they begin to caramelize and then remove from heat.

Pour the tomatoes into a 5-quart crock pot. Add the vegetable broth and orange juice. Stir until well mixed.

Fold in the onions, garlic, and shallots. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then allow to simmer on low for about eight hours.

To get the best flavor, add the rosemary about two hours before you want to eat. If you put the rosemary in too early, it tends to lose some of its earthiness while cooking. Add salt and pepper, to taste.