Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

I found this recipe on Good Eats n' Sweet Treats Blog. It sounded delicious so I gave it a try with a few modifications. It was perfect for a lazy weeknight dinner of soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.

Tomato Basil Soup
from Cooking Light

4 cups chopped seeded peeled tomato (about 4 large)*
4 cups low-sodium tomato juice*
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves
1 cup 1% low-fat milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/2 cup (4 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
Basil leaves, thinly sliced (optional)
8 (1/2-inch-thick) slices diagonally cut French bread baguette

Bring tomato and juice to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes.

Place tomato mixture and basil in a blender or food processor; process until smooth. Return pureed mixture to pan; stir in milk, salt, and pepper. Add cream cheese, stirring well with a whisk, and cook over medium heat until thick (about 5 minutes). Ladle soup into individual bowls; garnish with sliced basil, if desired. Serve with bread.

8 servings (serving size: 1 cup soup and 1 bread slice)

*I modified this recipe by using (gasp!) canned tomatoes (1-14 oz can whole tomatoes and 1-14 oz can diced tomatoes) because I didn't have any fresh tomatoes on hand and was too tired to go to the store. This was enough for 4 servings. I also added 2 Tbs sugar and omitted the milk because 4 oz of cream cheese for 4 servings was plenty creamy (maybe a tad much). It still turned out great. This is the perfect comfort food.