Roasted Tomato Basil Soup with Cheddar & Greek Yogurt



I’ve long wanted to make a homemade tomato basil soup.  But until this year, my gardening skills were, well…lacking.

But this year, my latent gardening talent finally showed itself.  That or the hot weather made it nearly impossible to fail.  Whichever.

My potted tomato plants were abundant enough for some fresh salsa (watch for that coming up) and my basil flourished and it was finally time to make some tomato soup!

I ended up choosing this recipe because of the Greek yogurt.  My main beef with tomato soups is the lack of substance, which is perhaps why it pairs so well with a grilled cheese sandwich.  In this case, I wanted a filling, stand alone tomato soup and I knew that the protein from the Greek yogurt would instantly elevate the tomato soup from lowly side dish to satisfying main dish.

Overall, this made a beautifully smooth, silky soup.  I roasted a few extra tomatoes and froze them with basil, so I can enjoy this soup into the cold (tomato-less) winter months!


Roasted Tomato Basil Soup with Cheddar & Greek Yogurt
Inspired by More Fruit Please

5 medium tomatoes, cut in large chunks (about 3 cups)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
Salt & pepper
1 small onion, diced (about ½ cup)
4 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 ½ tsp)
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained (or 3 cups diced fresh tomatoes)
½ cup fresh basil, chopped and lightly packed
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Plain Greek Yogurt, to top



Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

Place the tomatoes onto a baking sheet and drizzle with 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil.  Season lightly with salt and pepper.  Place the tomatoes in the preheated oven and allow them to roast, slowly for 60-90 minutes, or until they are beginning to brown on the edges.  Remove from the oven and set aside.

Heat the remaining ½ tablespoon of olive oil in a soup pot.  Add the onions and sauté for 5-7 minutes or until tender.  Add the minced garlic and sauté for another minute, or until fragrant.

Add the chicken stock, diced tomatoes, fresh basil, rosemary, and roasted tomatoes.  Bring the soup to a simmer and cook over medium-low heat for 20-30 minutes. 

Remove the soup from the burner.  Then, use an immersion blender to puree the soup (alternately, very carefully puree the hot soup in a blender).

Stir in the cheddar cheese, returning to the heat to melt if necessary.  Serve the soup in bowls topped with 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt (and mozzarella balls).

Serves 4


Comments

  1. Yum, this sounds so good!

    Love for you to link this recipe (and a couple others if you'd like!) to Wonderful Food Wednesday at http://www.athometake2.com. Hope to see you there!

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  2. I LOVE tomatoe Basil soup...this is a great variety to it. Thanks for posting.
    Laurie @ Pride in Photos

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  3. This looks amazing! I love tomato soup, but like you I always pair it with something. Have at least 4 ripe tomatoes on the counter, hopefully there will be another on the vine when I home so I can try this soon!

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  4. I love tomato soup! I'm going to need to raid my mother-in-laws garden!

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  5. Haha, perfect! We have a bunch of basil and I was just saying I had to make some tomato soup so that I could try out your mozzarella balls, so this is great! Thanks for sharing at The Fun In Functional!

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  6. YUM! This caught my eye right away at the Super Link Party! I'm your newest follower, and I'd like to invite you to the Sweet Saturday hop: http://jessica-healthymommyhealthybaby.blogspot.com/2012/09/sweet-saturday-20-quinoa-smoothie.html. I hope to see you there, have a nice weekend :)

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  7. Another amazing use for Greek Yogurt! Thanks for the recipy. New follower thanks to Love and Laundry: Weekend Wonders.

    Candice@www.lillythroughthevalley.blogspot.com

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  8. Oh my goodness! This looks yummy!!!
    Thanks for sharing with my Super Link Party! :-)

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  9. I LOVE roasted tomatoes, this sounds awesome! Thanks so much for linking up to Show & Share Wednesday, can't wait to see what you link up this week! :)

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  10. That sounds/looks like it'd be so rich and creamy!

    Thank you for linking up your recipes each week to Tasty Thursday. This one is being featured on Saturday ;)

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