Tomato soup recipe

So, I had to make a pot of soup to take to church last night for the Lenten meal that the church council was serving. I decided to make a vegetarian soup, and it turned out really yummy! It is kind of like Vonda's Tortellini soup, except that it is a creamy tomato version. I didn't really follow a recipe for it...just used what sounded good.

3 cloves garlic, sliced
2 TBSP butter
48 oz vegetable stock (I used the cartons of the Kitchen Basics brand)
2 28 oz cans + 1 14 oz can whole tomatoes
1/4 cup basil leaves, chiffonade
2 1/2 cups cream or half & half
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed
36 oz refrigerated or frozen cheese tortellini or other pasta

In a stock pot, saute the garlic and butter until golden brown. Add vegetable stock and tomatoes and heat over medium high until bubbly. Add basil leaves and cream, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Using an immersion blender (or blender, being very careful to avoid splattering), blend the soup until the desired consistency. I like my tomato soup to have a bit of texture to it, so I left some chunks. Add the spinach to the soup and let it cook for about 5 minutes. Add the pasta and let it cook another 10 minutes or so (you would want to add the pasta not too long before serving, as it will absorb lots of liquid and if cooked too long, the pasta will ooze all of the fillings!)
When serving, you can garnish with additional basil leaves, grated parmesan, crackers, cracked peppers...whatever your heart desires!