Tomato Basil Soup and grilled cheese are at the top of my best-of list. Soup is a perfect dish for winter and when I found this recipe for Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup on Pinterest from Cafe Delites, I wanted to give it a try.
First, I always wash my vegetables with Fit Organic fruit and vegetable spray. It’s all-natural, and removes 98% more dirt and chemicals than soap and water. It’s really important to clean your vegetables thoroughly before you slice or eat them.
You roast the tomatoes and garlic in the oven first and it makes the house smell heavenly.
Ingredients:
- 1.2 kg | 2 1/2 lbs Roma tomatoes, halved lengthwise
- 600 g | 1 1/4 lbs Grape (or Cherry) tomatoes, halved lengthwise
- 8 whole cloves garlic, peeled and smashed with the back of a knife
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped (optional)
- 1 red bell pepper (capsicum), deseeded and diced
- 1 potato (100 g | 3 oz), diced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves, roughly torn
Instructions:
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Preheat oven to 430°F | 220°C. Place tomatoes on a baking tray with the garlic cloves. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast for about 25 minutes, or until soft and charred on the tops.
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While tomatoes are roasting, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium-sized pot/saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, peppers (capsicum), and potato; cook while occasionally stirring, until the onion is transparent and the potato begins to crisp on the outer edges (about 6-7 minutes). Stir the tomato paste through the potatoes and onion; pour in the broth/stock; season with extra salt; cover and bring to a boil.
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Reduce heat to low; simmer for about 15 minutes or until potato is just tender when tested with a fork. Add the tomatoes, garlic, and basil to the broth (save 2 tablespoons of basil to use as garnish if you wish); continue to simmer until the basil is just soft (about 2 minutes). Blend soup using a stick blender until smooth.
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Optional: Pour the soup through a strainer or colander to remove any skins and thick tomato pieces, for a smoother soup.
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Sprinkle with extra basil, shaved parmesan cheese, and serve with cheesy garlic bread
For step four I don’t have an immersion blender, so I ladled the soup in batches into my food processor to make it creamy. I think you really need to blend the soup because otherwise you might be overwhelmed by the skins from the tomatoes. It brought the ingredients to a creamier state perfect for dipping your sandwich.
For my grilled cheese I always use English toasting bread from the bakery and extra sharp cheddar cheese I slice from the block. It just oozes deliciousness. For extra decadence use European-style butter.
Plate it all up on the cutest soup and sandwich set from World Market. And, since the soup is red it’s perfect for Valentine’s Day coming up!
Hospitality is in my DNA. I founded Home with a Twist, a daughter’s twist on her mother’s traditions, in memory of my mother to celebrate her life and the gifts she shared with me. Mother loved to celebrate life’s occasions – big and small.
Sounds delicious.. what bakery do you recommend for bread?
Hi Debbie! Thank you so much for reading my blog. My local grocery store carries homemade bread in the bakery section. I always look for either Sourdough or English toasting bread. Let me know what you find!
I think Amelia would love this! Omg, so would I. We are coming over for lunch now!