Name: Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 kg tomatoes (halved, or 2 cans San Marzano); 1 large onion (quartered); 6 cloves garlic (whole, unpeeled); 3 tbsp olive oil; 500 ml vegetable stock; 1 large bunch fresh basil; 1 tsp sugar (if tomatoes are acidic); 2 tbsp cream (optional); salt (to taste); black pepper

Roasting the tomatoes first is the difference between tomato soup and TOMATO SOUP. This version is velvety, sweet, and deeply tomatoey.

I used to think tomato soup was boring. Then I started roasting the tomatoes first and everything changed. Roasting concentrates the flavors and adds this caramelized sweetness that you cannot get from a can. You throw halved tomatoes on a sheet pan with garlic and onion, blast them in a hot oven until they are blistered and jammy, then blend the whole thing into soup. It takes maybe 10 minutes of actual work. This is the soup I make on Sunday afternoons when it is grey outside and I want some