Canned tomato soup has been around forever and even made into pop culture. Nothing though, beats a good tomato soup from scratch. Believe me when I tell you that this soup is so easy to make, prep ahead and best of all freeze for a lazy day. I make a huge batch and freeze them in 8 ounce container for when I have one of those days you just want to be in bed or watch movies. What makes this tomato delicious and sweet is by roasting them in the oven. Serve this with a nice grilled cheese and the world is yours.
Copyright Jerry Tapia 2022
Yields about 4-6 people
Roma tomatoes 12 each
Garlic cloves with skin 4 each
Vegetable oil as needed
Kosher salt 2 teaspoons
Black pepper 2 tsp
Unsalted butter 3 tablespoons
Tomato paste 2 tablespoons
All purpose flour 2 tablespoons
Basil, fresh 8 leaves
Chicken stock 4.5 cups
Salt, kosher 1 teaspoon
Black pepper 1/2 teaspoon
Feta cheese, crumbled 4 ounces
Step 1: Cut the Roma tomatoes in half and lay on a large sheet pan cut side facing up. Then add the garlic cloves with skin on in the same pan. Drizzle oil and sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Roast in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20-30 minutes until roasted.
You can cool them down at this point and store in a container inside your fridge for later use...
Step 2: When ready in a 6 quart pot add the unsalted butter to melt on medium heat. Then add the tomato paste and flour. Cook to a paste and cook for 2 minutes. Then add the chicken stock and whisk until the paste dissolves. Add the roasted tomatoes and squeeze out the garlic from the skin into the pot. You should have a golden sweet roasted garlic come out. Also add the basil. Cook for another ten minutes
Step 3: Time to puree. You can puree the soup in batches in a blender or you can use a stick blender to blend. This I entirely your preference. I like to blend 3/4 of the soup and leave 1/4 chunky. Puree in pulses even if using the blender. If you blend on high, you will end up with a light colored soup and airy.
Step 4: season with salt and pepper and cook for another 15 minutes. Adjust seasoning and then stir in the crumbled feta cheese. Serve with bread or a delicious grilled cheese. You can cool and freeze half the soup for a month in the freezer.