Rich & Creamy Tomato Soup

I made this soup for dinner tonight. "Karate Kid" had, well ... karate class so dinner had to be quick and filling. I whipped up this soup in less than half an hour and while it was simmering got the Ultimate Grilled Cheese ready to go on my electric griddle.

You could make this soup lower in fat by using skim or 1% milk and low-fat cream cheese (which I did). It doesn't effect the taste.

1 small onion, diced

2 tbsp butter or margarine

1 (14.5oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained

2 (10.75oz) cans condensed tomato soup, undiluted

1 1/2 cups milk

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp basil

1 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp garlic powder

4oz (1/2 pkg) cream cheese, cubed

In a large saucepan, saute onion in the butter until tender. Stir in tomatoes, soups, milk, sugar, basil, paprika and garlic powder. Heat through. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in cream cheese cubes until melted. Serve immediately.

Yield: 6 servings

Tip: If you have people who don't love chunks of tomatoes in their soup, use a hand blender and puree the soup.