1-First, prepare all ingredients by washing vegetables, dicing the onion, and mincing the garlic to make cooking easier and quicker.

2-Heat a non-reactive pot over medium heat and melt the butter. Sauté the chopped onions until they soften and turn golden, which takes about 10-12 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for one more minute until it smells fragrant.

3-Add the crushed tomatoes with their juice, chicken stock, chopped basil, sugar, and black pepper. Stir everything together, bring it to a boil, then lower the heat, partially cover the pot, and let it simmer for 10 minutes.

4-For a creamy texture, blend the soup with an immersion blender or in batches in a blender until it’s smooth, then put it back in the pot. If you prefer a chunky soup, you can skip this step.

5-Stir in the heavy cream and parmesan cheese, then bring the soup back to a simmer. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed before serving it hot, garnished with extra parmesan and fresh basil.