Tomato Basil Soup

Growing up, my parents didn't cook very much, so we had a slew of restaurants that we did take-out from, one of which was La Madeleine, a chain of French bistro-type food. For a long time, I always got a cup of their tomato basil soup and spinach quiche. Their tomato basil soup was pretty famous, and eventually they started selling it in jars at nearby grocery stores, but it was never quite the same as what you got in the actual restaurant.

When I saw this recipe on Liz's Cooking Blog, it reminded me of that La Madeleine tomato basil soup, and I thought it would make a perfect weeknight meal along with some grilled cheese sandwiches (though it would also pair nicely with a quiche!). I thought it was the closest thing to the La Madeleine tomato basil soup that I had tasted in a while. Pureeing it with an immersion blender or carefully in an upright blender would make it more similar.

It was delicious and very quick to make. You can make this healthier by using milk and less butter, though I think the taste would suffer a bit so go ahead and splurge a little. It makes a fair amount, so for two, you could even half the recipe. I used a combination of fresh and dried basil because my basil plant is producing smaller leaves right now.

Tomato Basil Soup
source: Liz's Cooking Blog

Ingredients

• 2 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
• 14 ounces vegetable broth
• 18 fresh basil leaves, minced
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 6 tablespoons butter
• salt and pepper, to taste
• grated or shredded Parmesan, for garnish

Preparation

In a large saucepan, bring the tomatoes and broth to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add basil and sugar. Reduce heat to low; stir in cream and butter. Cook until butter is melted.