Ah, the man cold.
Man Cold [ man-kohld ]
noun
A psychological phenomenon that causes a man to believe he is dying, when really he is experiencing the common cold.
Let’s make some roasted tomato basil soup to cure Nick of his man cold.
Yeah, I said it! When we have colds we pretend it is allergies until we can’t pretend any longer. When our partners have colds, they begin googling symptoms of brain tumors. Guys, you can’t trust Dr. Google MD.
Anyway.
Nothing better to cure a case of the man cold than a bowl of roasted tomato basil soup. This soup ups the ante on your typical tomato soup by bringing in intense savory flavors. Did you know that roasting tomatoes is one of the best ways to build plant-based umami in your cooking? It’s a total game changer.
This soup also could not be any easier. It takes just a few quick steps:
Chop tomatoes and onions into large chunks, and place them on a foil-lined baking sheet with plenty of olive oil, salt, and whole cloves of garlic. We used roma tomatoes and red onion but you can use whatever you have on hand. This is a great way to clean out the pantry of any squishy tomatoes and bits of onion leftover from other recipes. Roast this at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes or until you start to see everything turn a beautiful golden brown, and tomato skins start peeling. Little black bits on the onions are great, but don’t let your garlic burn.
Once everything is roasted and smelling great, add them to a large pot, and be sure to scrape all the juices in as well. Add your vegetable broth, crushed pepper flakes, black pepper and thyme. Bring everything to a boil then reduce it to a simmer for 5 more minutes. You will start to see everything breaking down a melding together. At this point, take it off the heat and use an immersion blender to puree the soup into a uniform consistency. At this point, taste for salt and add more if desired. Add your chopped basil and blend again, leaving some large pieces. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can also ladle the soup into a heat-proof blender and puree it there before returning to the pot.
That’s really it. We love to serve this soup with a little sour cream or cashew cream on top. Even better, serve with a grilled cheese on the side for dunking. This soup makes 4-6 servings.
Roasted Tomato Soup
Ingredients
- 12 roma tomatoes
- 8 cloves garlic
- 1 red onion cut into chunks
- 1.5 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½ cup fresh basil chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Prepare the vegetables: Cut roma tomatoes in half lengthwise, peel garlic into 8 whole cloves, and chop one red onion into slivers. Place vegetables onto a baking sheet. Drizzle 1.5 tbsp of olive oil, sprinkle with ½ tsp of salt and toss to coat. Finally, make sure that tomatoes are face down on the baking sheet.
- Roast the vegetables: Roast at 400 for 30 minutes, rotating half way. Tomato skins should be blistered and vegetables browned and aromatic.
- Prepare the soup: Place all vegetables in a large soup pot along with 3 cups vegetable broth, ¼ tsp red pepper flakes, ½ tsp dried thyme, and ¼ tsp black pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes.
- Blend the soup: Using a hand mixer, blend the soup until smooth. Add ½ tsp salt, more or less to taste. Add 1/4 cup of fresh chopped basil and blend into the soup.
- Serve soup with your favorite toppings, like additional basil, parmesan, sour cream, or croutons.
