Roasted Tomato Soup

 

(Creamy) Roasted Tomato Soup - KindSoups 10/2/23

All the veggies can be roasted in one pan.  Then just slip the garlic cloves out of their skin.  Simmer with 4 cups of water for 30 minutes, then blend.  If you remove the skins after roasting, you can blend it less and leave it with more chunkiness.  Otherwise need to purée completely to break up the skins.  Very easy but takes a while to roast the veggies, then let them simmer.  Makes the house smell great ;-)

Ingredients

• 15 pounds of large tomatoes, seeded and quartered
• 3/4 cup oil, divided (1/2 cup and 1/4 cup)
• 2 heads garlic, just remove outermost skin, cut off top of head, roast whole or as individual cloves
• 3 large onions, peeled and quartered
• 4-6 cups water
• 3 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional - yes, use
• 1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (optional replacement:  1/2 and 1/2, whole milk or even non-dairy milk choices, and can mix them up too!) - I didn’t use any.  Taste was too good to dilute! 
• Optional – Fresh basil leaves - use! 

Instructions per original recipe (INSTEAD SEE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Place tomatoes in large, greased baking pans. Combine 1/2 cup oil and garlic; drizzle over tomatoes. Toss to coat. Bake until softened, 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove and discard skins.
• Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, saute onions in remaining 1/4 cup oil until tender. Add tomatoes, water, salt and, if desired, pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until flavors are blended, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly.
• In a blender, process soup in batches until smooth. Return to pan. Stir in cream and heat through. Sprinkle with basil if desired.

Chef Deb’s revised recipe for making this soup even easier, and perhaps a little lighter):

• Quarter tomatoes and onions, and separate but don’t peel garlic cloves – toss all with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Pour onto a lined roasting pan or cookie sheet.  Roast in a 400 degree oven for 40 minutes – your tomato and garlic skins should easily come off, and your onions should just be starting to brown.  Save the liquid that accumulates and include it as the broth.
• Pour it all into your soup pot and add 4 cups of water (use progressively less water with how low-fat your cream/milks are), salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes.  Let simmer for 30 minutes, covered. 
• blend with an immersion blender.  Stir in 1/2 and 1/2 (or can mix with whole milk or even a nut milk) and heat through.  Sprinkle with strands of fresh basil.