Serves 4
Ingredients
- 3 pounds fresh ripe tomatoes (Or two 28-ounce cans whole peeled tomatoes)
- 1 yellow onion, peeled
- 4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 quart low-sodium vegetable broth
- 5 stems fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Croutons if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Wash and core the tomatoes. If using canned tomatoes, drain the juice. Cut the onion in half. Cut one of the halves in half again. Cut off one end of the unpeeled garlic cloves, exposing some of the clove.
- Place the two onion quarters, the tomatoes, and the garlic cloves on a sheet pan. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes. Remove the garlic. Continue cooking the onion and tomatoes for 15-20 minutes if they are not yet soft and slightly blistered. Note: Fresh tomatoes should need the added cooking time..
- Allow the vegetables to cool. Transfer the tomatoes and onions to a blender. Squeeze the roasted garlic out of the peel and add to the blender. Blend until smooth.
- Dice the remaining half onion and sauté with 1 tablespoon olive oil until translucent in a large saucepan or soup pot.
- Add the vegetable broth, thyme, pepper, and blended vegetables.
- Bring to a simmer and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the stems from the thyme, and place the soup back in the blender and puree until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.