Roast Tomato Soup

I really do not like tomatoes. I love tomato-based recipes (tomato sauce, chili, tomato soup, etc), but I cannot stand plain or chunky tomatoes. The problem with that is tomatoes are a superfood! They help lower cholesterol and they help fight cancer. Sometimes I can struggle to incorporate tomatoes into my diet, so I have been looking for a good Roast Tomato Soup recipe and I think I found it!

*Tomatoes are in season between July and August but I didn't want to wait that long to try this!

Roast Tomato Soup

Yields: 6-8 cups

Ingredients:

16 Roma tomatoes, tops and seeds removed
1 Red pepper, seeds removed
8 strips fresh Basil
5 cloves garlic, peeled
1 onion, chopped
1 L low-sodium chicken broth - or use vegetable broth for a vegetarian option
Pepper, to taste
2 T tomato paste (we added this for thickness and a richer "tomato" flavor)
Olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Cut tomatoes into halves, cut peppers into thick slices. Place onto baking sheet with peeled garlic and chopped onion. Drizzle with olive oil and season with pepper.

Place in oven and roast 1 1/2 to 2 hours, check after 1 hour to make sure they aren't burning.

When tomatoes, peppers, garlic and onion are finished roasting, add to large stock pot. Add 1 L low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth, basil, pepper, and tomato paste. Using a handheld blender, blend until smooth.

Bring soup to a light boil over medium heat. Serve hot and garnish with low-fat sour cream, basil and croutons. Or serve with a grilled cheese sandwich.

*This soup would also be beautiful when chilled (gazpacho), especially if served with a shot of vodka (say hello to a home-made Caesar!)

Enjoy and Bon Appetit!