Tomato Basil Soup

Today was just a soup and sandwich kind of day. It was rainy/snowy and gloomy. Then after my usual grocery shopping on a Friday night, I didn't feel like making anything too complicated. I found this recipe in one of my cookbooks but tweaked it a bit to my liking. It was delicio-so good!!! I made my own croutons to put on the top too. I save older bread/sandwich buns and dice them up and toast in the oven. These are a little softer than store bought croutons, I LOVE them on salad. They were pretty good in the soup too, they soaked up quite a bit. MMMMM.... I love a good Tomato Soup!

Tomato Basil Soup
Olive oil
1/2 cup minced onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
3 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup minced fresh basil ( I used about 3 Tablespoons of chopped Basil that comes in a Tube)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon dried parsely (you could use fresh if you have it)
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4 cup heavy cream

Garnish:
Seasoned croutons (see my how to below)
Grated Parmesan cheese

In a large saucepan, heat about 1 Tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Then add the minced garlic and onion, saute for about 1 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes and the chicken broth and bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes. Then add the basil, sugar, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper. Stir to combine and let this simmer for about 20-25 minutes more.
Then stir in the heavy cream, and heat through. Serve in individual bowls topped with croutons and Parmesan cheese if desired!! Yummo!!

How to make your own croutons:
I use 3 or 4 leftover sandwich buns (or you could use left over bread)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Dice the bread into 1 inch cubes (approximately).
Place youre bread cubes on a large cookie sheet. I spray mine with non stick cooking spray. Next I sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and about 1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning. Toss and I spray again with the spray and spinkle with another round of garlic powder, salt and about 1/2 teaspoon more italian seasoning.

Place in preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes, then stir around and bake another 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Use in salads and soups! Yum!!