Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

When the weather cools and the days get shorter, soup can warm your soul and lift your spirits. One of my favorites is this recipe for Roasted Tomato Basil Soup. I much prefer soup made from scratch and this one is fairly uncomplicated and has a wonderful roasted flavor. (Recipe at end of post.)

Once I started making soups from scratch, I found it hard to eat canned soup from the store.

The flavor is fuller and richer when you cook soup fresh at home.

My Roasted Tomato Basil Soup recipe calls for canned tomatoes, which you can buy from the store, but I preferred to use Roma tomatoes from my garden that I canned. There’s something special about eating food you’ve grown with your own two hands.

Pull the tomatoes from the can and spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake in the oven to carmelize, which will give your soup a delicate, sweet undertone.

Place the roasted tomatoes in a pot with the other ingredients to blend all the flavors.

Throw everything into a blender and puree … then serve!  Mmm, mmm, good!

If you need some dessert after  your soup, I’m sharing a recipe for Sweet Potato Spoon Bread with Caramel Pecan Sauce today on my blog, Town and Country Living. You don’t want to miss its sweet, creamy goodness!!

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

1 (14-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 stalk celery, diced
1 small carrot, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup vegetable broth
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1 cup light cream

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Strain the chopped canned tomatoes, reserving the juices, and spread onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Season the tomatoes with salt and pepper to taste, and then drizzle with 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Bake in the oven until roasted and caramelized, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1/2 cup olive oil over medium-low heat in a saucepan. Add the celery, carrot, onion, and garlic. Cook the vegetables until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the roasted chopped canned tomatoes, reserved tomato juices, vegetable broth and butter. Simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add basil and cream. Puree with a hand held immersion blender until smooth. If you don’t have a hand held immersion blender, you can put the mixture in a blender and pulse until smooth.

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