Roasted Tomato Soup

Tomato soup is one of my all time favorites. ROASTED tomato soup? Takes it over the edge. Roasting the tomatoes first, while it does take a little extra time, totally revolutionizes the recipe. The roasting really brings out the flavors of the tomatoes. The unfortunate part of tomato soup, in my opinion, is that it’s usually cream based. This recipe avoids the dairy, although I did top it with goat cheese which kinda reversed the whole dairy-free part. Goat cheese or not, this roasted tomato soup is an incredibly healthy & flavorful alternative to the typical cream-based tomato soup.

P.S. check the notes section to incorporate this pretzel recipe into pretzel bun goat mini sandwiches as a side!

BEST FOR- lunch, dinner, snack time, grilled cheese sandwiches, 4 year olds, and chilly days.

MUSICAL PAIRING- “Left Hand Free” by alt-J

INGREDIENTS
{serves 6}

9 large tomatoes halved and seeded if desired
1 head garlic
3 tbs. extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 tsp. thyme, fresh and chopped
2 tsp. oregano, dried
1 large onion, diced
1 cup chicke broth, low sodium
2 tsp. honey
1/8 tsp. red chili flake
½ tsp. cinnamon
sea salt & pepper to taste
optional toppings- a small handful of fresh basil & dollop goat cheese

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 F. Cut tomatoes in half. Cut off the stems. Place them on baking trays lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with oregano, thyme, and salt. Wrap garlic cloves in aluminum foil and place aluminum foil ball on baking sheet as well. Cook in oven for 40-45 minutes.

Once everything is done roasting, heat olive oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onions and saute until fragrant. Then add roasted tomatoes and garlic. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Simmer for a few minutes, then add to blender. Blend on low so that broth remains slightly chunky. It’s okay if it doesn’t all fit in the blender at once (mine didn’t).

Serve on its own (it’s delicious) or with chopped, fresh basil and/or goat cheese. Enjoy!

NOTES

• I initially made this recipe as something to go with the pretzels I made. Then, I realized I could do much more than simply dunk pretzels in the soup. Enter mini goat cheese pretzel bun sandwiches. Simply follow this recipe but instead of forming the dough into pretzel shapes, making little balls. Then, after they’re fully baked, slice in half, line insides with goat cheese, and make grilled cheese as per usual on the stove. Perfect for dunking in soup!