Chew on This | Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

A new school year has begun. The Sprite has started her career as a middle schooler. The Boy has entered his final year of elementary school. It's a new era around here.

Any schedule change takes some time for adjustment, though for the moment we all seem to be acclimating well. We've all been night owls this summer so I thought for sure we'd feel the squeeze of our school start most in the mornings. So far, so good, but I'm preparing for the heaviness of morning this week. All the excitement and shiny newness might begin to dull a bit by Tuesday.

So we're off and running into this novel season. Come what may, we'll do our ever best to not take ourselves so seriously and have a bunch of laughs! Happy New School Year!

Cares

Here's our recipe:

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

This time of year not only sees our babes off to school, but also brings a plethora of pretty, ripe red tomatoes. Make big batch (or two, this soup freezes so well) of this gorgeous Tomato Basil Soup and tuck in to the changing season.

Roast:

5 pounds tomatoes (I used Better Boy), cut in half or quarters, seeds removed

2 medium onions, sliced into large pieces

2 heads of garlic, tops cut off to expose cloves

salt/pepper

2 T olive oil

Preheat your oven to 400℉. Line three baking sheets with foil. Spread your prepared tomatoes, onions, and garlic heads onto your baking sheets. Drizzle your olive oil over the vegetables and toss to coat, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the baking sheets into the oven and roast the vegetables for 25-30 minutes.

When roasted, remove the vegetables from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheets.

Soup:

1 T olive oil

roasted tomatoes

roasted onions

roasted garlic, cloves removed from skins, approximately 10-11 small cloves

3 C chopped fresh basil leaves

5 C chicken broth (or vegetable broth to make vegan)

salt/pepper

Garnish - 

2 T chopped fresh basil

croutons

Add olive oil to a large stock pot and place over medium heat. Add in your roasted vegetables along with any liquid from the baking sheets. Stir in your fresh basil and allow the mixture to warm. Next, pour in your chicken broth, season with salt and pepper, and bring everything to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and allow to cook, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes. Turn off heat and allow the soup to cool for 20 minutes before using an immersion blender (or a regular blender) to blend until perfectly smooth. Serve hot or cold. Enjoy!