Homemade Tomato Soup

Like milk and cookies, grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup go perfectly together. For me it's the slight tartness and sweetness of the soup that cuts the richness of the ooey-gooey cheese and buttery bread oh-so nicely.

I'm not a huge fan of the canned tomato soups I've tried though. They barely taste like real tomatoes and can be sickly sweet. This is my second attempt at a homemade version. I think it's definitely worth the effort. Once you try it, you really can't go back to canned.

Homemade Tomato Soup

• 2 1/2 lbs organic tomatoes, try an assortment -roma, cherry, heirloom, vine; cut into large uniform pieces
• 1 medium onion, cut into big chunks
• 2 tsp chopped garlic
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 cups chicken stock/broth
• pinch of sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

Line a large roasting pan with parchment paper. Add the tomatoes, onion and garlic. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Toss gently with your hands until all the veggies are evenly coated with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for about 40 minutes. The tomatoes and onions should be starting to brown and blister. Let cool for a few minutes.

Pour the roasted veggies with all of the juices and a cup of the chicken stock right into a large stainless steel pot. Use an immersion hand blender to blend the veggies until almost smooth, adding more chicken broth to thin the soup out until the consistency is to your liking. The key is to tilt the pot to the side in order to get the liquid high enough to blend without everything splattering! Heat over medium-high heat until it comes to a low boil. Then turn down the heat and simmer for about five minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add a pinch of sugar if it needs a touch more sweetness. Serve hot.


*If you don't have an immersion hand blender, a large food processor or blender works just fine. Pour the roasted veggies with all of the juices and a cup of the chicken stock into a large food processor and pulse until almost smooth. Add more chicken broth to thin the soup out until the consistency is to your liking. Then transfer everything to a pot and heat over medium-high heat until it comes to a low boil. Then turn down the heat and simmer for about five minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper.