Chuck the Campbell's.

These rainy May days are perfect for soup. Then again, so are sweltering August days, chilling December days and make-you-want-to-curl-up February days. You already know that there's no one season/month/day for soup in the Sutliff house -- we're the year-round type and aren't afraid to shout it from the rooftops. 

In keeping with our Organic, Non GMO, (2/3 Sutliff) vegetarian lifestyle - veggie soup, of all kinds, is extra special to us. I promise you that this next recipe will prevent you from EVER buying a can of Campbell's tomato soup ever again. Seriously. This creamy soup has a mouthwatering, soothing, delicious taste that screams for a grilled cheese sandwich to be dunked in it. Which, by the way, I personally feel it's a crime if you don't dunk a GC sandwich in tomato soup and it's an unwritten rule in this kitchen. Yes, I understand that some folks have a certain draw to saltine or oyster crackers, which I also love - but they're more for standard vegetable soup, chicken/tofu soup, french onion, potato, broccoli cheese, etc.

Righteous roasted tomato soup demands a rockin' grilled (3 or more!) cheese on rosemary bread. You can disagree if you like, but I promise - this sandwich is the way to my heart.

Now, this soup does take more effort than the majority of standard soups, but this is one that you can (and should) make a double or triple batch of. This freezes great and is perfect for a quick lunch or dinner. 
 
Rrrroasted Tomato Soup

• 2 pints of cherry tomatoes
• 8 fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 tbsp. Italian seasoning
• 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp sea salt & pepper
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 cup red onion, chopped
• 1 (28oz) can tomato puree
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 small sprig thyme
• 3/4 cup heavy cream 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a small bowl, add tomatoes, basil, Italian seasoning, EVOO & salt and pepper. Toss to coat. 
Spread the coated tomatoes out on a sprayed baking sheet in a single layer. Scrape the bowl clean and dump the excess onto the tomatoes - you want all that goodness.   

Bake for 40-45 minutes - you want the tomato skins to have brown spots on them. 
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing tomatoes from the sheet. 

In a soup pot, add the butter, garlic & onion - cook for 8 minutes. 
Add the puree, broth and thyme - cook 3 minutes. 

Add the tomatoes & drippings. Cook on low for 45 minutes. 

Using a blender, add ~1 1/2 cups of the mixture & blend until smooth. Be very careful, this is going to be hot. Dump the blended goodness into a separate bowl and continue blending the remaining soup. 

Once all the soup is blended, I dump it into a strainer over the original soup pot to remove any chunks that I may have missed. Warm the soup on low and add the cream. Do not allow it to boil. 

Serve and enjoy!


I always make this soup the day before I plan to serve it because soup always tastes better after it sits for a while. This is great with a GC sandwich, BLT, Feta, fresh Mozzarella or Gruyere on top, crackers, toast, orzo - pretty much whatever you like.