Roasted Heirloom Tomato Soup—aka: Homemade Spaghetti-os
I have a tumultuous relationship with tomatoes…I want to love them, but in fact, I cannot stand them! I don’t know if it is texture, or it could be I have some PTSD from my childhood when my parents would can stewed tomatoes in the fall and it was one of the worst smells I’ve ever encountered. The smell was SO potent that my hair and clothes smelled like stewed tomatoes and inevitably some kid at school would comment on the smell.
That being said, tomatoes are gorgeous! The vibrant color, the smooth texture of the skin. Heirloom tomatoes are my favorite, there is just something about their ugliness that makes me smile. So, with my PTSD tucked deeply in my emotional pocket, I trudge along hoping to find a recipe that causes me to enjoy tomatoes.
Guess what? If you add a little extra, tomatoes can actually be very yummy. A little garlic, onion, salt, pepper, sugar…and how you prepare them makes a huge difference. Roasting foods brings a deeper, richer flavor to most foods. Roasting vegetables is especially tasty and can create a completely new flavor level. Roasting vegetables is one of the easiest, least amount of work way to add flavor.
Roasted Heirloom Tomato Soup
Ingredients
- 5-7 Large Heirloom Tomatoes
- 3 Heads of Garlic
- 1 Large Onion
- 1 32oz Low Sodium Chicken Broth
- 2 Tbsp Sugar
- 1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
- Fresh Basil
- Olive Oil extra virgin
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 8 oz Small pasta optional
Instructions
- Wash and dry all produce, then chop both heirloom tomatoes and onion into chunks and place them on a baking sheet. Take the 3 heads of garlic and cut off the top, approximately 1/2 an inch, to expose the garlic cloves. Place on a baking sheet as well. Drizzle the produce with olive oil until lightly coated. Sprinkle the Italian seasoning and salt and pepper. Move around the tomatoes and onion until it is entirely coated with the seasoning and oil. Place the garlic heads cut side down onto the baking sheet. Roast in the oven at 350°F for 30 minutes or until the tomatoes and onion slightly brown around the edges.
- Take out of the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Place the tomatoes and onion into a blender. Take the garlic heads when they are cool enough to handle, squeeze them cut side down into the blender so the roasted garlic cloves drop into the blender. Add in the sugar at this time. If you like basil with tomatoes, then add in fresh basil leaves, you do not need to chop first if your blender is good at blending. The amount you add is truly up to you. I typically add 5-7 large leaves of basil in my soup. Begin blending, add in the chicken stock until the contents are a slightly runny soup.
- You want it to be a tiny bit on the liquid side so the noodles have enough to soak up without turning the soup into a paste. If you are not adding in the noodles, then only pour in the chicken stock until you reach your desired consistency.
- Once done blending, pour into a deep pot to heat up. In another pot, boil some water and cook the pasta to al dente. There are typically directions on the box to tell you how to do this. Each type of pasta has a different cook time. Do not overcook the pasta, but you must cook it in a separate pot first or it will soak up too much liquid from the soup. Once the noodles are al dente, add them to the soup. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
I like to top my soup with shredded parmesan cheese and then eat alongside a grilled cheese sandwich. Perfection on a cold day!
Hope y’all have an amazing week!
