Thick and Tasty Tomato Soup

A couple of teaspoons of sugar lowers the acidity of the tomatoes and brightens the colour of this thick and flavourful soup, which can also be used as a marinara sauce for pasta. Makes 7 servings.

Ingredients

1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
1 medium white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 28 oz can (796 mL) crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp (25 mL) fresh basil, chopped (or 1 tbsp dried)
1 tbsp (15 mL) fresh parsley, chopped (or, 1/2 tbsp dried)
2 cups (500 mL) chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup (250 mL) water
2 tsp (10 mL) sugar
1 tbsp (15 mL) balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup (175 mL) reduced fat sour cream or 5 % cream
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add onion and garlic and sauté for 8 minutes.

Add tomatoes, basil, parsley, stock, water, sugar and vinegar. Simmer for 30 minutes over low heat. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Purée soup in saucepan using an immersion blender or by transferring batches to a blender or food processor.

Return to saucepan, stir in sour cream or cream, season with salt and pepper and simmer until heated.