Tomato Basil Bisque

Ingredients:
2 cans (28 ounces) diced tomatoes (I love to use fire roasted canned tomatoes for even more flavor)
3-1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup dried basil
1 cup shredded Parmesan or Mozzarella cheese
3 tablespoons sugar
Salt and pepper
Extra grated or shredded Parmesan cheese
Chopped fresh basil

Directions:
In a large soup pan add the cream, sugar, tomatoes with juice and a little salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Simmer for a minute or two. Turn down the heat and blend the soup with an immersion blender until it’s pretty smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, let the tomatoes and cream mixture cool a bit and blend with your regular blender in batches, then return soup to pot. Bring the soup back to a simmer. Now, whisk in the basil and cheese. Taste to see if a little more salt and pepper is needed. Serve in bowls with extra cheese and chopped fresh basil on top.

Notes:
This soup makes everything better! Serve with garlic bread or, better yet, a grilled cheese sandwich for dunking and let me tell you, life is good! If you can’t find fire roasted tomatoes, regular canned tomatoes will work fine.