Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

On a cold and rainy day, what do you do (besides get snug under a blanket and read a book while sipping on hot cocoa)? Eat comfort foods! Yesterday was so perfectly bone chilling that this Roasted Tomato Basil Soup with a side of vegan grilled cheese went down very easily. You guys, this is a go-to soup. It's simple, delicious and hearty, making it a winter staple. The recipe was adapted from Evolving Table. I added extra basil, a little red pepper spice and topped it with cilantro for extra herbal power and flavor—but these are totally optional. You could also top it with nutritional yeast, pepitas or mix in some cashew cream (yum!).

I made cheesy croutons by cutting half of the already made grilled cheese into small bite-size pieces and baking them for 15 minutes at 400 degrees F. The soup was so satisfying that I didn't feel the need to finish the other half of the sandwich. (If you're lucky like me you have hungry monsters in the house who have no problem gobbling up food laying around, so nothing goes to waste.)

Nutritional Benefits of Tomatoes

Not convinced that you should stop everything and start making this now? Then check out the nutritional benefits of tomatoes:

• packed with lycopene, a phytonutrient that protects against heart disease and cancer

• high in Vitamin A, which helps with skin, hair and eye health

• chock-full of collagen-building vitamin C

• filled with potassium, helping to control blood pressure

• good source of bone-supporting vitamin K

• good source of gut-healing fiber (3 grams per two tomatoes)

Make it today and you'll have lunch for the week!

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

Serves: 6-8

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 60 minutes

Ingredients

Roasted Tomatoes

• 2 pounds Roma tomatoes cut in half and seeded

• 6-7 cloves garlic peeled

• 2 medium sweets onions cut into thick slices

• olive oil to coat tomatoes and onions (use water or veggie broth if oil-free)

• salt and black pepper

Soup

• 28 ounce can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes

• 1 cup vegetable broth

• 1/2 cup unsweetened, unflavored soy milk (plant-based milk of choice)

• ½ packed cup fresh basil

• 2 tsps oregano

• 3/4 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

• more salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, mix tomatoes, onion and garlic with 1-2 Tbsp olive oil (or veggie broth), salt and pepper.

3. Place tomatoes, garlic and onions mixture on a large parchment-paper-lined baking sheet and spread out evenly. Bake for 40 minutes.

4. While vegetables are cooking, add canned tomatoes, veggie broth, basil, oregano, and plant-based milk to a food processor.

5. Blend for 1-2 minutes or until completely smooth.

6. Once smooth, add this mixture to a large soup pot.

7. When vegetables are done roasting, add them to the food processor and blend until smooth (about 2-4 minutes).

8. Add the roasted veggie mixture to the soup pot, stirring it into the other tomato mixture.

9. Bring the soup to a boil then simmer for 10-15 minutes.

10. Add optional crushed red pepper and more salt and pepper, if desired.

11. Serve with homemade grilled cheese sandwiches or a big salad. Top with cilantro, nutritional yeast or more basil!

How to Make a Vegan Grilled Cheese Sandwich

It's pretty simple! You just need to grab your favorite whole-grain bread (my favorites are Ezekiel, Silver Hills and Dave's Killer Bread), store-bought or homemade cheese, vegan butter and some veggies of choice, if desired (tomato and spinach are delicious additions to this grilled cheese sandwich). For cheese, I recommend Miyoko's, Follow Your Heart, or Violife.

Preheat a large stovetop pan over medium-high heat. Apply vegan butter on both sides of each bread slice. When the pan is hot, place the two bread slices, butter side down. Spread desired amount of cheese on each slice. Cover with the remaining bread slice and press gently with a spatula while cooking to aid cheese melting. Once one side is golden brown, flip and grill the other side. Each side will take approximately 2-4 minutes to brown.

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup Nutrition Information

Per serving (4 servings): 225 calories, 43 grams carbohydrates (33 grams net carbohydrates), 10 grams fiber, 7 grams protein, 7.5 grams fat, 1018 milligrams sodium

Good source of vitamin B2, vitamin B12, folate, calcium, copper, iron, manganese, phosphorus

Excellent source of vitamin B6, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, potassium