Tomato Alphabet Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped carrot
• 1/3 cup chopped celery
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 cups cooked alphabet pasta (about 1 cup uncooked pasta), divided
• 1 cup 2% reduced-fat milk

Preparation

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add broth, basil, pepper, and tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 15 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup pasta. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes.
2. Place half of tomato mixture in a blender, and process until smooth. Pour puréed soup into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining tomato mixture. Return puréed soup to pan; stir in remaining pasta and milk. Cook over medium-high heat 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently (do not boil).