Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

Total Time: 45 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 2 (28 ounce) cans whole tomatoes
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 3 -4 garlic cloves
• 1/2 medium onion
• 5 -6 stalks celery
• 15 -20 leaves fresh basil
• 1 lemon, juice of
• 2 teaspoons sugar (or substitute)
• salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 cups half-and-half (using fat-free substitutes works as well)

Recipe

• 1 peel the "strings" from the celery, then chop it along with the garlic and onion.
• 2 put everything except the cream in a pan and heat it to boiling, then reduce the heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes.
• 3 puree all the ingredients in a blender (a little at a time) or with a hand held blender right in the pan.
• 4 add the cream and re-heat.
• 5 garnish with a few leaves of basil and serve!