Very Easy Tomato Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
2 -3 teaspoons sugar
1/2 - 1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
65 ounces tomato juice
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt, as needed

Preparation

In a large soup pot, over medium heat, put the butter and let the butter melt. Add the flour and stir for about 1-2 minutes to cook the flour.
Quickly stir in the sugar, basil, garlic powder, and black pepper. Remove from heat and slowly add the tomato juice (about 6 1/2 cups), stirring nonstop, so that you don't have clumps of flour in your soup. Return the soup to the heat.
Once the tomato juice has been added, stir frequently until the soup starts boiling. Let it boil for about 2 minutes then remove from the heat.
Let the soup cool for about 10-15 minutes then stir in the cream. Adjust seasonings if needed and check for salt.
Good with grilled cheese sandwiches.
Variations: 1. Use milk instead of cream to reduce the calories--you may need to add extra milk. 2. Add 1-2 chicken bouillon cubes to the soup. I almost always add the bouillon cubes, adding it when I add the basil. If you add the bouillon, you can skip the salt. 3. Add chicken broth instead of dairy to the soup. 4. Add cooked cheese tortellini once the soup is ready to eat. 5. To make this vegan, eliminate the flour and butter. Instead of tomato juice, use whole canned tomatoes that you have pureed. Instead of the milk, use cashew cream.