Roasted Tomato Soup

I have a pretty nice sized sweet tooth, but these last 2 weeks have left me with a big ol' cavity! (metaphorically speaking, I don't really have a huge cavity, although it is time to go to the dentist, so I guess maybe I could)  So anyway, when my friend was telling me about this recipe she had made I knew it would be the perfect solution to counter-act all the sweets we've been consuming at our house lately! (i.e. Kyla's Birthday cake (Peanut Butter Cup Cake), Kyla's Birthday Cupcakes (Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes), celebrating Halloween not only on Halloween but on the Saturday before Halloween as well=loads of candy and party treats!)

This soup was AMAZING!  I loved all the spices and flavor it had goin' on in it!  And it just felt so good to eat something so good for you! 

Roasted Tomato Soup

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7 large tomatoes, halved

4 cloves garlic, unpeeled

1 green pepper, without seeds, halved

salt & pepper to taste

Olive Oil

5 Tablespoon butter, divided

1 medium onion, diced

1 teaspoon dry basil (or 2 teaspoon fresh)

1/2 teaspoon dry oregano (or 2 teaspoons fresh)

3 cups chicken stock

2 cups milk (skim is fine)

1/4 cup flour

Place tomatoes, garlic, and green pepper on a large cookie sheet cut side facing up.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

Cook at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  Remove from oven and let cool.  Peel the skins off of the tomatoes and garlic; set aside.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a small saucepan.  Add in the onion, oregano, and basil and cook until the onions are transluscent. 

Puree tomatoes, green pepper, garlic, chicken stock, and onion mixture in a blender.  You will probably need to do half at a time unless you have a huge blender!:)  Place the pureed mixture into a large pot on the stovetop and bring to a simmer.  Simmer for 20 minutes. 

While the tomatoes are simmering, make the white sauce.  Melt 4 tablespoons of butter (you can do this in the microwave or stovetop) and then whisk in the flour to make a thick paste (roux).  Slowly add the milk, whisking as you go.  We don't want any lumps in our white sauce!:)  Heat until sauce thickens.  If doing this in the microwave, heat at 2 minute increments, whisking inbetween until thickened.  (you can substitute heavy whipping cream instead of making a white sauce.  Just use about 1 1/2 cups cream instead!)

After the tomato puree has simmered 20 minutes add the white sauce.  Stir to incorporate and salt and pepper to taste.  Serve.

We tried some Grilled Cheese Crutons with ours, they were good, but think they could have been better with some sturdier bread instead of the really soft stuff I used!:)  I'm going to perfect those and let you know!