Summer Tomatoes + Soup Season = Sunshine in a Bowl
Keep a stash of this delicious roasted tomato soup in your freezer for those cold winter nights when you need a little tomato-based-comfort.
I have a quickie-newsletter this week. Nothing is wrong; actually quite the opposite! Life is full, busy, and absolutely jam packed. Between back-to-school fun, our last trips to the pool for the year, writing, cooking, and appearing on TV… I’m wiped out! Not so wiped out that I won’t take advantage of every single second of this sumptuous tomato season. No sir. I’ll keep eating those juicy summer tomatoes for as long as they are available… even if I doze off from exhaustion while doing so!
A Quick Recipe That Tastes Like It Was Simmering All Day!
This vegetarian soup embraces everything I love about cooking, and packs the flavor in using high quality local ingredients, farm fresh produce, and simple cooking techniques, with plenty of leftovers to freeze for later. It’s amazing that a few ingredients, added to a bit of time and heat, can create the most crave-able meals. This roasted tomato soup is just what we need as we transition from those hot summer days to crisp cool fall nights. Grab a bowl and slurp away.
A Little Sneak Preview!
Then Scroll Down for the Recipe!
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Vegetarian Roasted Tomato Soup with Balsamic and Basil
makes 8 cups
Ingredients
4 pounds fresh ripe tomatoes
3 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and pressed
2 packed tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
3 teaspoons aged balsamic vinegar
1 handful (about 1/2 cup packed) fresh Italian basil
2 sprigs fresh thyme
4 tablespoons butter
3 large shallots, peeled and finely diced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup half and half cream
2 tablespoons cooking sherry (optional)
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions for the Roasted Tomatoes
Preheat the oven to 4ooF and arrange the middle rack for roasting.
Wash and stem the tomatoes. Slice the tomatoes in half and seed the tomatoes (this is easy if you use your hands - just scoop the middle out and slide the seeds off). Discard the seeds, but keep as much of the fruit and pulp as possible, then add to a large bowl. Repeat the process until all of the tomatoes are seeded.
Roughly chop the tomatoes and add to a 9 inch X 13 inch lasagna pan or casserole dish.
Press the garlic and add to the tomatoes. Sprinkle on the brown sugar, olive oil, white wine vinegar, and aged balsamic vinegar.
Hand tear the basil and fresh thyme leaves directly to the pan. Add 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt and 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper. Mix lightly with your hands.
Place into the hot oven and bake for 50-55 minutes, or until the tomatoes are soft and start to get some caramelization.
After roasting, remove from the oven and set on a cooling rack.
Instructions for the Soup
Using a large dutch oven pot or soup pot, add the butter and place over medium-low heat. Let the butter melt until foamy and then add the diced shallots. Stir often. Let cook until slightly translucent, abut 5-8 minutes. Lower the temperature if the shallots start to brown.
After the shallots have started to become translucent, add the 2 tablespoons of butter and mix well to create a loose roux (for thickening). Cook while mixing the roux around the bottom of the pot until it’s slightly golden in color. About 3-5 minutes.
Add the vegetable stock and stir well. Pour all of the roasted tomato mixture, as well as its juices, into the pot. Stir and season with a large pinch of kosher salt and several grinds of black pepper.
Let the soup base come to a low boil, then lower to a simmer and cover for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
Using an immersion blender (or standard blender, in small batches) begin to puree the soup base until completely smooth. Be careful, as it’s very hot!
Return the fully pureed soup to the dutch oven and stir in the half and half and the cooking sherry. Reheat over low heat until at serving temperature and season with salt and black pepper to taste.
Serve immediately with cheesy toasts or your favorite soup crackers.
Note; This soup freezes very well. Allow the soup to cool to room temperature and then portion into freezer safe plastic containers. Freeze completely. To thaw; place the plastic container in the refrigerator overnight, or let thaw a bit on the counter for an hour. Place the soup into a pot and reheat gently over medium heat.