How to Make Tomato Bisque

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1 pinch salt
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 (32 ounce) container chicken broth, or more as needed
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed San Marzano tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 3 tablespoons uncooked jasmine rice
• 1 teaspoon white sugar, or to taste
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil leaves, divided
• 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream, divided

Directions

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat; cook and stir onion and celery with a pinch of salt until onion is translucent, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Pour chicken broth and tomatoes into onion mixture. Bring to a simmer and season with paprika, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Turn heat to low and stir rice into soup; skim foam occasionally and simmer until rice and vegetables are very tender, 35 to 45 minutes. Add sugar.

Blend soup with an immersion blender in the pot until smooth. Whisk 1/2 cup cream into soup and adjust levels of salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and sugar. If soup is too thick, add more broth; if soup is too thin, cook, stirring often, until reduced and slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Ladle into warmed bowls; garnish each bowl with a drizzle of cream and top with about 1 teaspoon chopped basil.