Roasted Tomato Soup

After the being spoiled by several 80 degree days here in New England, the cold rainy weather was especially tortuous. The solution? Soup of course! This is my ultimate favorite tomato soup recipe.

Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

2 19 oz cans of chopped tomatoes 

1/2 C EVOO

4 celery stalks diced

3 carrots diced

1 yellow onion diced

4 cloves of garlic minced

2 cups vegetable broth

2 tablespoons butter

a whole lot of fresh basil or dried 

How-To:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2. Strain tomatoes onto roasting pan/baking sheet and drizzle with a little EVOO and salt and pepper, reserving the tomato juice for later
3. Caramelize tomatoes for about 15 minutes 
4. In a large saucepan heat the EVOO and cook the celery, carrots, onion, and garlic over medium-heat until soft, about 10 minutes
5. Add the roasted tomatoes from the oven, reserved tomato juice, broth, and butter
6. Simmer for about 20 minutes until everything is very soft
7. Puree with an immersion blender until creamy
8. Add the basil and blend several more pulses

**If pressed for time, roasting the tomatoes is not a make or break, I have made the soup omitting this step. Roasting tomatoes just brings out a sweet quality to them and will enhance the soup, but again, not necessary.