Tomato Basil, Creamy Roasted, Soup

By AnitaD

A Creamy Roasted Tomato Basil Soup full of incredible flavours, naturally thickened with no need for cream cheese or heavy creams!

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 lbs Roma tomatoes, halved lengthwise
• 1 1/4 lbs Grape (or Cherry) tomatoes, halved lengthwise
• 8 whole cloves garlic, peeled and smashed with the back of a knife
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper (capsicum), deseeded and diced
• 2 potatoes (200 g | 7 oz), diced
• 3 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves, roughly torn

Preparation

Step 1

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 430°F. Place tomatoes on a baking tray with the garlic cloves. Drizzle with 2 Tablespoons of oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast for about 25 minutes, or until soft and charred on the tops.
While tomatoes are roasting, heat 1 Tablespoon of oil in a medium-sized pot/saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, peppers (capsicum) and potato; cook while occasionally stirring, until the onion is transparent and the potatoes begin to crisp on their outer edges (about 6-7 minutes). Stir the tomato paste through the potatoes and onion; pour in the broth/stock; season with extra salt; cover and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low; simmer for about 15 minutes or until potato is just tender when tested with a fork. Add the tomatoes, garlic and basil to the broth (save 2 tablespoons of basil to use as garnish if you wish); continue to simmer until the basil is just soft (about 2 minutes). Blend soup using a stick blender until smooth.
Optional: Pour the soup through a strainer or colander to remove any skins and thick tomato pieces, for a textured smoother soup.
Sprinkle with extra basil, shaved parmesan cheese, and serve with cheesy, crusty bread.