11/10/11

Cooking 101 - Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

{ohhhhhhhhhh} This soup is so good.  Like..."mmmm..." out loud good.  I'm a tomato lover, so that helps, too - and when you use fresh tomatoes like this, you can only imagine how flavorful this tastes.  It's the ultimate gray/winter/blah weather soup because it's warm, bright, and has rich, deep flavors.

I have this awesome cookbook by Ina Garten and the original recipe is found here, among so many others that I LOVE.  However, after cooking, tweaking, and adjusting it to my taste, I found the perfect balance.  I'm giddy to have found a recipe for the perfect tomato soup!


...and this makes your house smell ahhhhh-mazing.


ROASTED TOMATO BASIL SOUP
adapted from the Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

serves about 8 adult portions


You'll need:

3 lbs. ripe plum (Roma) tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
1/4 c. + 2 T. olive oil
1/2 T. salt
1 1/2 t. fresh ground pepper
2 c. chopped yellow onion (2 medium onions)
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 T. butter
1/8 t. red pepper flakes (a shake or two)
1 28 oz. can plum tomatoes with juice - (I didn't use plum, I just had diced and they worked fine)
4 c. fresh basil leaves, packed (lots, and lots of basil!)
1 t. fresh thyme leaves
1 qt. chicken stock or 4 c. water and 3.5 tsp. chicken base or 3 chicken bullion cubes
1 c. half & half or 1/2 c. heavy cream - optional but heavenly

Toppings:
grated asiago or parmesean cheese
sour cream
fresh basil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss together the tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread the tomatoes in 1 layer on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes.
In an 8-quart stockpot over medium heat, saute the onions and garlic with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the butter, and red pepper flakes for 10 minutes, until the onions start to brown. Add the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, and chicken stock. Add the oven-roasted tomatoes, including the liquid on the baking sheet. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. Using an immersion blender, or a regular blender,  blend the soup until it is smooth but still chunky.  Add the half & half or cream; adjust salt and seasonings.  If it's lacking some flavor or salt, add a small tsp. of chicken base, stir it in, and then adjust.  Sometimes chicken base can make all the difference, rather than adding salt.  The chicken base adds depth and flavor, as well.


Serve with your toppings and some amazing grilled crusty bread!  OR a grilled sandwich of any kind!  I LOVE to dip a grilled sandwich in this soup!


8 comments:

Michele said...

I must try this! Sounds so good!

Stacy's Designs 88 said...

I have this cookbook and I haven't really tried any recipes from it...until now. I'm going to whip this up tonite (fingers crossed)..it looks soooo yummy! I Love Tomato soup and a warm crusty sandwich to go with. Thanks for sharing!

kahcha said...

I just have to say, I LOVE your blog. I stumbled on it awhile back and fell in love with it, and was trying for awhile to get back here, and today I found it again! Woo-hoo! As a stay-at-home Mom, I love to cook for my family, sew for my family and love on my family! Too often I am poked fun at because of my "old-fashioned" mothering. I personally don't care, and love all things domestic. Why not have fun since this IS my job? Anyway lately I am obsessed with vintage aprons and cannot wait to make my first one, and plan to make others to give as Christmas gifts. I really adore the half-apron tutorial you have, but am wondering if you know of a good one for a full apron? I am really looking for a feminine, 50s glam style. Just wondering if you had a link to one or could make one. Any advice/help you could offer is greatly appreciated! I am a big fan, and will be adding this blog to my bookmarks so I don't lose it again! :) Thanks!

Unknown said...

oh this look so yummy!

Frozen Cacti said...

I LOVE tomato soup but since I had a butternut squash on hand I used that instead. Roasted it with lots of onions and garlic. It turned out fabulous. Thanks again for a great idea...and for helping my house smell amazing.

Tracey vL said...

Just made this soup for dinner. Served it with parmesan and ciabatta. De-licious!!! Thank you.

sweets said...

Do you mind telling me where you got your dishes or the brand of them? Have been looking for a long time and love yours! Thank you so much. Have a great day!

Abby said...

Hi Sweets - I got my dishes at Pottery Barn. Glad you like them!!