Roasted Tomato & Garlic Soup

The best tomato soup comes from slow roasting the tomatoes

I am a sucker for a classic grilled cheese with tomato soup. I think that good tomato soup has to start with slow roasting the tomatoes until they start to almost caramelize and release all of their juices. The second thing good tomato soup needs is lots of fresh basil. The icing on the cake is the slow roasted garlic that melts into the soup and adds so much flavor. And the best part is that this recipe requires so little effort.

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs of various tomatoes - cherry + vine ripened

• 1 large shallot

• 1 head of garlic

• 1 large sprig of thyme

• 3-4 tbsp of olive oil

• 1 tbsp of red pepper flakes (optional)

• Lots of Salt

• 1 cup of packed basil leaves

• 1 cup of chicken or vegetable broth

• 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar

• 2 tbsp of butter

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. In a large baking dish add the tomatoes, shallot, head of garlic, sprig of thyme, olive oil, sea salt, and red pepper flakes and toss well to combine

3. Bake for about an hour until the tomatoes have released their juices and everything has started to caramelize

4. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly

5. Add the roasted tomato mixture, 1 cup of broth, 1 cup of packed basil leaves, and the balsamic vinegar to a blender and blend on high until smooth and creamy

6. Add back to a sauce pan and stir in 2 tbsp of butter

7. Let the mixture simmer on low for 10-15 minutes while you make your grilled cheese!

8. Top with a little drizzle of olive oil, chopped chives, or parmesan and enjoy!