Recipe: Tomato Rice Soup with Pesto

This was the fifth entrant our Fall/Winter Soup Contest. Photo and analysis here. (Mr. Big Food was very impressed. I liked it very much but argue it's not a Fall/Winter Soup at all.)

Posts on soup contest entrant #1, Beer Cheese Broccoli Soup here, and here

Posts on soup contest entrant #2, Slow Cooker Potato Cheese Soup with Wieners here, and here.

Posts on soup contest entrant #3, Corn and Sausage Chowder, here and here. 

Post on soup contest entrant #4, Chili Soup, here

Recipe below the fold.

TOMATO RICE SOUP WITH PESTO

Serves 6

1 C onion, chopped

1 C carrot, peeled and shredded

3 stalks celery with leaves, chopped

14 ½ oz stewed tomatoes, Italian style (undrained if canned, but preferably homemade—see recipes in Basics section)

6 oz tomato paste (preferably Italian style)

½ tsp dried oregano, crumbled

¼ tsp dried thyme, crumbled

¼ tsp pepper

2 C water

2 C chicken stock OR vegetable stock (preferably homemade—see recipes in Basics section)

1 C quick-cooking rice

¼ C pesto (preferably homemade—see recipes in Basics section)

Shredded Parmesan cheese

In 3 ½ or 4 quart slow cooker, combine onion, carrot, celery, tomatoes and juice, tomato paste, oregano, thyme, and pepper. Stir in water and stock. Cover and cook on low heat setting for 8-10 hours, or on high heat setting for 4-5 hours. Stir in rice, cover, and let stand 6-7 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir pesto into soup, ladle soup into bowls, and sprinkle with shredded Parmesan cheese.