Creamy Tomato Soup (with no cream)

1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
pinch red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
2 (28 oz) cans whole tomatoes
1 Tbsp brown sugar
3 large slices, good quality sandwich bread, torn into 1 inch pieces
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
salt and pepper

Heat 2 Tbsp oil in dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat-I used my new Staub pot that I love and it was PERFECT! Add onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, and bay leaf. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and their juice. Use a potato masher to mash until no pieces larger than 2 inches remain. Stir in sugar and bread. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until bread is completely saturated and starts to breakdown, about 5 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf.

Transfer 1/2 of soup to blender. Add 1 Tbsp oil and process until soup is smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Transfer to large bowl and repeat with remaining soup. Rinse out pot and return soup to it. Stir in chicken broth and retun soup to a boil and season to taste with salt and pepper. This was great with a grilled cheese (or in my case crusty cheese toast).