Chunky Tomato-Basil Bisque

I recreated this comforting Tomato Basil Bisque from the awesome version I used to love at the now-shuttered Dan Marino’s Town Tavern, a popular downtown Fort Lauderdale restaurant.

While it uses canned tomatoes, the vibrant punch of flavor from the fresh basil makes this soup taste like it’s made from farm-fresh tomatoes.

Fun fact: It was published in Taste of Home Magazine!

Tomato Bisque

Ingredients:

• 6 celery ribs, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 3 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 3/4 cup loosely packed basil leaves, coarsely chopped
• 3 tsp. granulated sugar
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, sauté the celery, onion and red pepper in butter for 5-6 minutes or until tender. Add tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 40 minutes.
2. Remove from the heat. Stir in the basil, sugar, salt and pepper; cool slightly.
3. Transfer half of the soup mixture to a blender. While processing, gradually add cream; process until pureed, about 2 minutes. Return to the pan; heat through (do not boil). If you want a completely smooth bisque, simply puree all the soup in two batches.

Yield: 5 servings.