Tomatoes are interesting. They are one of those "acquired taste" type of foods, but isn't it funny how even if someone doesn't like tomatoes, they may like ketchup, tomato soup, or salsa? That was me!
It took me 21 years before I started liking tomatoes. I grew my liking for vine ripe tomatoes eventually, thanks to my husband's parents introducing me to tomatoes from their garden with a bit of cottage cheese and black pepper (yum yum!).
Because it is No-can-ber month, I wanted to share a no-can recipe for tomato soup. Not just any tomato soup though. This will probably be your new favorite! Below is my recipe for Roasted Tomato and Bell Pepper Soup. You will love it, I promise! I even used some of the soup as a salad dressing :).
Ingredients
- 2-1/4 pound ripe organic tomatoes, halved lengthwise
- 2 large organic red bell peppers, quartered and seeded (or a variety of green, red, and yellow which is what I do)
- 1 shallot, chopped (I like using shallots, but a yellow or sweet onion will work perfectly)
- 4 large garlic cloves, peeled
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tbs chopped fresh basil
- 1 tsp fresh thyme
- 2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 450F.
- Place tomatoes, cut side up, bell peppers, onion, and garlic cloves on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper. Roast veggies until brown and tender (about 40 minutes). Turn peppers and onion occasionally. Remove from oven and let cool.
- Once veggies are cool, place them and their juices into a food processor (used our Vitamix!). Add basil and thyme. Puree the soup while gradually adding enough stock to thin the soup to your desired consistency. The 2 cups is just an estimate...you may want more!
- Once pureed, put the soup into a pan, heat through, and serve hot.