Tomato Soup for Two

This tomato soup recipe is both easy and easily customizable. I used red pepper and sherry, but you could do a version with fresh basil and extra garlic, or substitute some cream for some of the bread and broth. Feel free to sub in canned or frozen tomatoes if that's what you have on hand.

• 1¼ pounds tomatoes, peeled (optional) and roughly chopped
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pinch hot red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 slices sandwich bread, torn into 1-inch pieces
•  cups vegetable broth
• 1–2 T sherry (optional)
• salt and pepper

Place tomato pieces in a medium-sized mixing bowl and sprinkle with 1 tsp salt. Toss to combine and let sit.

Heat oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and red pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent and a bit browned.

Stir in tomatoes and their juice. Stir in sugar and bread; bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are cooked and start to break down.

Transfer soup to a blender (if this would fill your blender more than 2/3 full, process in two batches), cover blender with a towel, and process until soup is smooth and creamy.

Return soup to pot; stir in enough broth to create the desired consistency, along with the sherry, if using. Return soup to a boil and season to taste with salt and pepper.