Tomato Soup Recipe

In a large Dutch oven, combine olive oil and butter. Heat over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add the onion. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for another 5 minutes or until very fragrant and just starting to brown.

Add the tomatoes. Swirl the cans with some of the chicken stock to get the rest of the tomato juices and pour into the pot with the remaining stock. Stir in the sugar and black pepper. Bring to a boil, about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue simmering for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat.

Using an immersion blender, pulse the soup to break up the tomatoes a bit or until your desired consistency. Taste and add salt, if needed. Stir in the cream. Serve immediately topped with fresh basil.

Don't use a high-speed blender. Blending olive oil can make it bitter. If you don't have an immersion blender and you want a silky smooth texture, use vegetable oil, grapeseed oil, or all butter instead. You can also use a potato masher for a chunky soup. Use a non-reactive pot to avoid a metallic taste. Turn it into a homemade tomato basil soup recipe by adding about 10 basil leaves to the pot right after you turn off the heat and pulse. For a lighter soup, use half and half or reduce the amount of heavy cream. Make it vegan by using more olive oil or vegan butter, swapping chicken broth for vegetable broth, and using full-fat coconut milk instead of heavy cream.