A little healthy comfort food

I love to cook, but I usually just follow recipes I find online or in magazines. I have a coworker who is really creative and has the ability to make up recipes on a whim. She brought in a home made tomato soup that I really loved. When I asked her for the recipe, she couldn't really tell me anything more than what she usually puts in to the soup since it's something she's made up on her own.

At home that following weekend, I began to experiment. Tomato soup has to be one of my favorites, especially with a great grilled cheese sandwhich. I love to eat, and I love to indulge and if I can find a recipe to make that tastes amazing, but is super good for me I'm on board. Here's my recipe for my home made roasted tomato soup.

I've doubled the recipe here because we're going to eat some now, but I wanted extra for my lunches this week at work. We love garlic so I've added more than what I would if I was making this for dinner guests. This recipe is a little bit of heaven. It's an incredibly low fat comfort food. Who would have thought?

Roasted Tomato Soup

You'll need the following ingredients:

1lb tomatoes

1 yellow onion & a few cloves of garlic

(I doubled my recipe, hence 2 onions)

1/8th cup of olive oil

Salt, Pepper & Red Pepper Flakes

1 cup Chicken Broth

First, start by cutting up the vegetables.

Cut the tomatoes and onions in to quarters.

Whack the garlic with your can of broth, peel it and cut it in to quarters as well.

Toss them in to a bowl, generously salt & pepper then drizzle with olive oil. Stir the vegetables until they're evenly coated with the oil and seasonings.

Pour the vegetables on to a baking sheet and spread evenly.

Then sprinkle with red pepper flakes, use as little or as much depending on how spicy you'd like your soup.

Now pop the baking sheet in to the oven and bake at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes. You're wanting the tomatoes to be mushy, the onions soft with brown crispy edges.

These look perfect! You also could use sweet Campari tomtoes for a sweeter soup, or keep an eye out in the summer for heirloom tomatoes, they make the best soup!

Now toss the vegetables in a blender and add 1 cup of chicken broth. Then blend until you're satisfied with the consistency. Blend longer for a smoother texture, or add more broth for a thinner soup. It's all up to you!

I like mine really smooth, and just a little on the thick side. Now that it's finished, it's lost a lot of it's heat. Pour it in to a soup pot to reheat.

Reheat to your desired temperature and it's ready to serve!

(The clock is reads 3:16 in the background. 3:16am!)

And there you have it. Deliciously ready to eat. It would have been so much tastier with a grilled cheese sandwhich. Melty cheddar on sourdough... Yum.

Roasted Tomato Soup
1lb tomatoes
1 yellow onion
2-3 cloves of garlic
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Red pepper flakes
1 cup chicken broth

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Rinse your tomatoes, cut in to quarters and set aside in a large bowl. Peel your onion, cut in to quarters and add to the tomatoes. Peel 2-3 cloves of garlic, cut in to quarters and add to the tomatoes and onions. Generously salt and pepper the vegetables, then drizzle with about an 1/8th cup of olive oil. Stir to coat all of the vegetables in the bowl. Pour vegetables on to a large baking sheet, and sprinkle with red pepper flakes to taste (depending on the level of spice you're looking for).

Pop the baking sheet in to the oven at 400 degrees for about 35-40 minutes. You want the onions to be soft and browning.

When the vegetables are done, pull them from the oven and allow them to cool to room temperature. When the vegetables have cooled, add them to a blender or food processor. Add 1 cup of chicken broth and blend. You can blend for less time for a more chunky soup, or blend longer for a more creamy soup. You can also add more chicken broth if you'd prefer a thinner soup.

When you're finished blending, pour the soup in to a soup pot and heat again. You're ready to eat!