1. To make the croutons, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Take half of a French bread loaf and cut/rip it into bite sized pieces. Place the bread pieces in a large bowl, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme. Stir to combine then pour into a large baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, remove from oven and set aside until the bisque is done.

2. To start making the bisque, in a large pot over medium heat add the diced white onions and cook for 5-6 minutes until soft and lightly browned. Add the grated garlic and chopped basil and cook an additional minute. Pour in the crushed tomatoes, the can of peeled plum tomatoes (the tomatoes and the tomato liquid in there). Using you spoon, lightly press on the tomatoes to start breaking them up. Add the sugar, salt, and pepper and simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes.

3. After 30 minutes, turn off the heat and it’s time to blend this into the bisque. Using a blender or other blending device (I use my Nutribullet), pour into the tomato mixture and blend until completely smooth. If your blender is small, you may need to do this in batches.

4. Pour the blended smooth tomato bisque back into the large pot, add the half & half and the water. Simmer over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes.

5. To serve, top with crumbled goat cheese, the homemade croutons, and extra basil if you’d like.