Break up the smoked salmon into bite-size pieces, and set them aside.
Warm up a large dutch oven or other soup pot over medium heat.
Add olive oil. Allow to warm up.
Add diced onions and start to sautee until soft and translucent. About 5 minutes.
Step 5: Add celery and continue to cook until soft. About another 5 minutes.
Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
Add diced potatoes and stir to coat.
Add butter. Once melted stir to coat all the veggies and potatoes.
Add flour and stir well. It will start to get really thick. Cook for 2 minutes or until all the flour is cooked through. We do not want raw chunks of flour.
Slowly pour in the vegetable stock and half and half, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon until fully incorporated.
Add crushed tomatoes and all the spices.
Bring to a gentle boil and reduce to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are nice and soft. Stir frequently.
Break up the cream cheese into chunks and add to the soup. Continue to cook and stir until it is fully melted and incorporated. The soup should really start to thicken up.
Add the pieces of smoked salmon and cook for just a couple more minutes.
Serve and enjoy!