Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

With Fall in full gear, I am ready for soup weather. At least soups that I like to make and are willing to eat. I recently got into soups and decided they were not too bad (I know Mom - who am I??). I googled tomato basil soup, as this is one of my favorites to get at restaurants, and found an easy and delicious sounding recipe from the Food Network's Ina Garten.

I made it and it turned out great! Even Christopher liked it and he really isn't into tomato based soups. I think he was hoping I would make a beer cheese soup, or something along those lines.

Here are the easy directions. Plus - your kitchen will smell fantastic while it is stewing :) Perfect for football Sundays.

3 lbs plum tomatoes, quartered
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsps olive oil
2 tbsp salt
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 yellow onions, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 crushed red pepper flakes
1 28 oz can of plum tomatoes
4 cups fresh basil leaves, packed (you read that right - 4 CUPS)
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 quart (4 cups) chicken stock

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss together the tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread the tomatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes.  While the tomatoes are roasted, cut and mince all other ingredients. 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 juice and extra liquid on the baking sheet. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes.

Ina Garten uses a food mill to puree the soup. I do not have a food mill, so I used our food processor and the puree option. Note - this will get really messy, but it is totally worth it! We served the soup hot and with a little sprinkle of cheddar cheese on top!