Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • 2 lbs. Roma or plum tomatoes (or *see Note 1 for other tomato options)
  • 1 medium red bell pepper (cored and seeded and cut into chunks, or *see Note 2 below for jarred roasted red peppers)
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons white granulated sugar
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp butter (or olive oil, if you prefer)
  • 1 cup onion (diced)
  • Pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • Pinch dried thyme
  • Crumbled feta cheese
  • Heavy cream (to drizzle)
  • Fresh chopped basil

Instruction

  • Preheat the oven to 450F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  • Roast the vegetables: Cut the tomatoes in half and place on prepared baking sheet, cut side up. *If using regular tomatoes (not Roma), use a spoon to spoon out and discard the liquid/seed bits, as much as you easily can. Cut the sides and bottom from the red pepper and slice away and discard the white core bits. Place on baking sheet, skin side down. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with sugar and season with salt and pepper. Place into preheated oven and roast for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and drizzle with balsamic vinegar, then return to the oven for 10 minutes more (30 minutes total).
  • Meanwhile, heat butter in a large pot on the stove-top over medium heat. Add onion and red pepper flakes, if using, and cook, stirring, until the onions are softened and just starting to colour, about 4-5 minutes. Add the chicken broth, dried basil and dried thyme to the pot. Reduce heat to low, to keep warm until the roasted vegetables are ready.
  • When the roasted vegetables are done, add to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10-15 minutes, to blend the flavours and soften the vegetables.
  • Using an immersion blender in the pot, or in a regular blender in small 1-cup batches, puree the soup. You can puree as much or as little as you like, from a little chunky to completely smooth.
  • Taste soup and add salt, as needed. It will probably need some, depending on the saltiness of the broth you used. If the soup tastes like it is missing something, it's probably salt! Add some freshly ground pepper, as well.
  • Serve soup garnished with crumbled feta, chopped fresh basil and a few drops of heavy cream (or see Notes below for other options).