Oven Roasted Tomato Soup

It’s important to use ripe tomatoes for this soup, even overripe, wrinkled or squishy tomatoes work well so use them up here. Roasting the tomatoes transforms their flavor, making them sweet and smoky. It’s a great way to make tomato sauce for pasta, too – just blend it without adding the stock.

• about 3 lb. ripe tomatoes
• a good drizzle of olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1 head garlic, cloves peeled
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 tsp. sugar
• ½  cup  half and half
• Chopped fresh basil or pesto for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Cut the tomatoes in chunks or in half if you’re using Roma tomatoes and place them on a  roasting pan with the whole cloves of garlic. Drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast on the middle rack of the oven for about 45 minutes, until the tomatoes are juicy with dark edges and the garlic is very soft. Set it aside to cool for a bit.

Transfer the tomatoes, garlic and all the juices that have collected in the pan into a blender or food processor, puree it (add a little stock if you need to get it moving) and then transfer it to a soup pot. Add the chicken stock and the sugar. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes. Turn the heat down and add the cream, stirring just until the soup is heated through. To finish stir in a small handful of chopped fresh basil or a spoonful of pesto just before serving. Perfect served alongside grilled cheese sandwiches!