Roasted Tomato Soup

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Happy Hallowe'en! May your day be filled with too much candy, not too many slutty versions of unassuming costumes, and a good dose of tricks and treats. I'll be heading out on the town withs some friends and no general plan to see what the night has in store... which is hopefully only good things!

Do you have any big hallowe'en plans? Do share!

Anyway, on to the soup. Up until now if you had asked me what my least favourite of all the soups were, I would have unhesitatingly answered "Tomato!"

I just didn't get the appeal, I mean the flavour was fine but when you have a whole world of other soups out there, why would you ever choose tomato!?

Well folks, I stand corrected, because the world has brought me roasted tomato soup and I am forever grateful.

This soup is super cozy and comforting, and roasting the tomatoes first adds a ridiculous depth of flavour that regular old tomato soup just won't give you. So while I wouldn't fully call myself a tomato soup convert, I will gladly take a bowl of this deliciousness anytime!

When I'm feeling out of my element I have a tendency to want to over-add things to a dish because I figure the more the merrier. While this sometimes works, it also definitely sometimes does not. I knew for something as basic as tomato soup I needed to keep it simple, so I practiced a lot of restraint in order to do so, and it really worked in my favour.  So while I didn't keep it purely tomato I did dial it back a few notches from what I was originally planning.

One thing I did do to add to the flavour of this soup I also roasted up a red pepper and some white radishes that desperately needed to be used. Neither of these overpowered the soup, but did add that little something extra. Served with some crusty whole wheat sour dough from the local bakery this was the perfect meal for a cold night.

Keep reading for the recipe!

Roasted Tomato Soup

4 large tomatoes, quartered and gutted
1 red bell pepper, seed removed and chopped into large chunks
1 bunch of white radishes (about 6 or 7) washed and quartered
salt and pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp cooking oil (I used coconut)
1 can diced tomatoes
2-3 cups vegetable broth (depending on desired consistency)
1 tsp dried basil (or 2 Tbsp fresh, chopped)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375
2. On a parchment lined baking sheet spread out the tomatoes, pepper, and radishes - I used two sheets to fit it all
3. Poke holes through the tomatoes and peppers to make sure any liquids that might seep during the roasting process doesn't pool in the vegetable
4. Sprinkle with salt and paper (if you like, you could also toss in a light layer of cooking oil... the choice is yours, I went without and preferred the results)
5. Roast in the oven for 30 - 40 minutes - check after 30 minutes, if they need a bit more give them a bit more
6. When the veggies are a little more than half way done roasting, sauté the onion with the oil in a large soup pot on medium heat
7. Cook the onions until golden brown, and if you have the time/energy/patience allow them to caramelize
8. Add in the garlic and continue to sauté for 1 minute (add a touch more oil if the pot is dry)
9. Stir in the diced tomatoes, broth, roasted vegetables, and basil and bring to a low boil, then turn the heat down and allow to simmer for 15 minutes so the flavours blend
10. Using an immersion blender (or transferring to a standard blender) blend the soup until smooth
11. If the consistency is too thick add in a little more stock until desired consistency is reached
12. Serve hot with crusty bread or grilled cheese sandwiches 
13. Enjoy!