roasted tomato soup.

this was last night's dinner. it was perhaps the tastiest soup i've made so far (which may be saying something as soup is the only thing i seem to make deliciously).


it was incredibly easy to make and didn't take much time as soups go. i was also a very filling tomato soup because of the addition of the pasta (which you can just barely see peeking through near the bottom of the bowl). i did the whole thing in our cast iron dutch oven so that i could go from stove top to oven back to stove top without dirtying multiple dishes. here's the recipe, i strongly suggest trying it out for yourself:

-2 lb tomatoes, halved
-1 large onion, chopped
-1 bulb of garlic (~10-12 cloves, peeled)
-8 tbs olive oil
-handful of mint
-2.5 cups vegetable stock
-1-1.5 cups small pasta (i used mini shells)
-salt and pepper to taste

preheat oven to 425F. meanwhile, saute the onions with half of the olive oil until soft and slightly browned. add tomatoes, garlic, mint, salt and pepper. transfer to oven and roast, uncovered, 20-30 minutes (time is really flexible here--with more time you're just going to develop deeper flavors).

let cool slightly and then puree mixture with remaining oil. return to pan and add stock. bring to a boil and then add pasta, cooking until the pasta is cooked to your taste. check seasoning and adjust as needed

serve with a generous helping of ricotta cheese, a little mint, and, in my opinion, a couple (or several) dashes of hot sauce. i served ours with a nice side salad. it would also be super awesome with grilled cheese or a nice crusty bread, but i'm trying to make better life choices :D

it's delicious. i promise. you will not regret it. next time i make it i think i'll add a red pepper or two to the roasting mix. the soup ends up a bit sweet (depending on your tomatoes probably) and benefits greatly from the ricotta and hot sauce.