Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

Okay, so I'm on a tomato soup kick, and I am slightly obsessed with the boxed Organic Creamy Tomato Soup, from Whole Foods. I eat it for lunch, kind of... well... like, almost daily. So, I decided I wanted to make my own. I have procrastinated long enough, and finally gathered up all the ingredients, so I could whip up a batch of this Creamy Tomato Basil Soup, from Cooking Light. First of all, it's an easy recipe. Canned tomatoes, basil, onions and garlic. If you have an immersion blender, this is so perfect. I kept mine slightly chunky, and I wish I'd smoothed it out a bit, but still, it was delicious.

Overall, I think this is a 4 bowler. No one else in my family would try it, because they won't eat cheese, but it was definitely a keeper. I am going to whip up another batch in the next few days.

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup (Adapted from Cooking Light)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion(or 1 medium onion)
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 (28-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained (I used fire roasted with chili peppers)
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, cut into cubes
• 2 cups 1% low-fat milk (I used skim and it was great)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation 

 Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in garlic; cook for 1 minute. Add basil and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Stir in cheese until melted. Place mixture in blender, and blend until smooth. Return to pan; stir in milk, salt, and pepper. Return to medium-high; cook 2 minutes.