Open your cans of diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. Pour them into your large stockpot. Do not drain the juice from the diced tomatoes. That liquid holds all the flavor for your soup base.

Stir in the chicken broth and the unsalted butter. Turn the heat to medium. Let the butter melt completely into the tomato mixture. Stir occasionally so the bottom does not burn.

Add the sugar, dried basil, salt, and pepper. The sugar is the secret ingredient here. It helps neutralize the sharp acid from the tomatoes. This creates a very smooth and mellow flavor profile.

Bring the soup to a gentle simmer. Lower the heat to medium-low. Let it cook for about 10 to 15 minutes. This time allows the spices to wake up and blend together.

Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth. If you use a standard blender, work in small batches. Be careful with hot liquids! Blend until no large tomato chunks remain.

Turn the heat to low and pour in the heavy cream. Stir slowly until the soup turns a beautiful light orange color. Warm it through for 2 minutes, but do not let it boil.

Ladle the hot soup into deep bowls. Garnish with fresh basil or a swirl of cream. Serve it immediately while it is steaming and fragrant. It is the perfect comfort meal.