Easy and Delicious Tomato Soup

Who doesn't like tomato soup?! (Okay, I know Eve doesn't, but she's weird.)

I'm not too big a fan of canned soup, but I'm also busy, and if it's not easy, I don't make it right now. Which is why I'm a huge fan of this tomato soup.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 medium sweet onion, coarsely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes in their juices, preferably San Marzano

1/4-1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

2 bay leaves

1/3 cup heavy cream

Warm the olive oil and butter slowly until butter foams, add the onion and garlic and salt and pepper.

Add the broth, bay leaves, basil and chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 15 minutes, until the tomatoes start to fall apart. Encourage this with some poking and prodding.

Remove bay leaves. If you don't have an immersion blender, cool before blending, but I'm in love with my immersion blender, so maybe you should just buy one. Blend thoroughly. Add the cream (you can just use milk as well) and any additional salt and pepper needed and serve!!

I make a double batch and freeze half before adding the cream. Then, on days like today, when my menfolk are sick and raspy all I need is some cream and I can just magically produce a crockpot full of soup with no effort. :-)