Tomato & Basil Soup, courtesy of Spoon Fork Bacon

 It might have been the stress of my crazy week, or the fact that I called in sick to work when I wasn't actually sick (karma!) but I have caught the cold bug. Sore throat, plugged ears and a stuffy nose...I got it all. Needless to say, I was in need of some major comfort food! Soup here I come!

I was sick of chicken noodle...I needed something different. That's when the amazing blog Spoon Fork Bacon came to my rescue! If you haven't checked out this food blog, you must do so now. The recipes are awesome, and the photography is so beautiful, sometimes my mouth starts to water while reading.Yesterday this recipe for roasted tomato and basil soup was posted, and I new I had to try.

Up until last night, I claimed to not like tomato soup. I think this is because the only tomato soup experience I've had was with Campbell's. Yuck. Thank you Spoon Fork Bacon, for opening my eyes to the fabulousness that is tomato soup.

Again, see the original post here. Here is a little step by step!

Ingredients:
1 ½ lbs Roma tomatoes, sliced lengthwise
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 cups basil leaves, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons dried basil
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
2/3 cup heavy cream
garnish:
fried basil
goat cheese, crumbled.


 Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Spread tomato halves onto a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Roast tomatoes for about 1 hour.

 I added some oregano as well.

4. While tomatoes are in the oven, melt the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat.
5. Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes.
6. Stir in the garlic and thyme and sauté for another 5 minutes.

7. Add crushed tomatoes, basils and sugar. Season with salt and pepper.

8. Stir the mixture and reduce the heat to medium or medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, covered.
9. Pour broth and roasted tomatoes into the pot. Season with salt and pepper.
10. Continue to simmer soup, covered, for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
11. Carefully pour soup into a blender and blend until smooth.
12. Pour soup back into the pot and stir in the cream until fully incorporated.

13. Simmer the soup for 3 minutes before ladling into bowls.
14. Top each soup with a sprinkle of goat cheese and fried basil and serve hot.

I needed some toasted cheese to dunk as well, so I made some sandwiches with an olive loaf and some havarti cheese. Mine didn't turn out quite as blended as the original...probably because my blender was less than $10.

   Eat up!