Roasted Tomato Soup

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Roasted tomato soup is easy, vegan, and totally delicious. A couple weeks ago (as usual) we had a jam packed weekend.  I was juggling my niece's birthday party, an overnight stay at my parents', a family party at Richie's parents' house, and at the end of it all guests at home for dinner Sunday evening.  I needed something that I could prepare early in the day and travel with that would present well later that evening for dinner for guests.

I wound up making a delicious white bean salad, simple (but packed with flavor) roasted tomato soup, and some garlic bread.  It was easy and packed well and the perfect Sunday night meal.

Here's how I did it:

(makes enough for 6-8)

Ingredients:

20 plum tomatoes cut in half

2 pints of cherry (or grape) tomatoes

olive oil

aged balsamic vinegar (it's important you use a good quality vinegar here...the syrupier the better)

sea salt

2 leeks medium chopped

1 carton of no chicken broth (you can use a veggie broth if you can't find this)

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
  • Put the tomatoes in baking pans and sprinkle with sea salt.
  • Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic and mix with your hands to coat.
  • Put the tomatoes in the oven and cook for 30-45 minutes or until the cherry tomatoes "pop" and the plums are a bit flattened and slightly browned.
  • Meanwhile in a soup pot saute the leeks in 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil with a pinch of salt until they are slightly translucent and soft.
  • Add the broth and the tomatoes and bring to a boil.
  • Lower the heat to a simmer.
  • With an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth (for this step you can decide how thick you like your soup.  Add more water for a thinner consistency or blend less for a chunkier soup).
  • Cook it for 15-30 minutes (the longer the better for the flavors to meld) and serve hot.