Tomato Cream Soup

2 ribs of celery

½ cipollini onion

1 med. carrot

a handful of peppery arugula

1 6oz. jar tomato pesto*

2 cans diced tomatoes

12oz. spaghetti sauce

24oz.± water

1c of dairy of some sort.  Heavy cream, or in this case, I used ½c each of half & half and sour cream.

Chop the first three (mirepoix) ingredients and saute' in a little water, butter or olive oil in a 3 quart pot.  After 5-10 minutes, stirring and letting it just steam, covered, add the chopped arugula.  Arrange it on top of the mirepoix so it doesn't touch the bottom or sides of the pot.  Add a little water if needed, then cover and let it steam again on low, another 5-10 minutes.  Add the next four ingredients, stir well, cover and simmer on low another 15-20 minutes.  *If your okay with the possibility of an 'icky' colored soup, you could use regular basil pesto for a Tomato-Basil Cream Soup.

At this point, you can omit the dairy if you want.  If you're using it, cool the soup until it's just warm.  Add 1c of what you've chosen and stir it in well.  Bring the pot back to a simmer to serve.

Top with crumbled croutons, tortilla strips, pumpkin seeds or whatever sounds good to you.

Ahhhh, soup!  MmmMmm Good??  No. . .  Homemade soup is MmmMmm Excellent!! . . . Lin