Long overdue for a recipe over here.. This week the pile of fresh tomatoes on our kitchen counter + cool fall-like weather + three piles of orange & brown leaves in our backyard had me feeling like soup should be on the menu.

We have definitely been blessed by a fruitful garden this year and I can't get over it. We added 3 more raised beds this year and planted things I most commonly buy at the store and it's been more than worth it.

If you have ever had more than one tomato plant, you know what I mean when I say you can't eat them all - meaning salads, snacks etc.. You have to use them in recipes!

We have 8 tomato plants - 4 grape tomato & 4 big slicer tomato plants. Homegrown, truly vine-ripened tomatoes taste amazing - unlike anything you can get at the store. Am I right?

Okay - back to the soup recipe. I've made tomato soup before with canned tomatoes, but never fresh. A quick browse on Pinterest will show you lots of recommendations to roast your ingredients, blend it up and simmer everything for a bit, so that's what I did. SUPER EASY.  After we enjoyed a couple bowls of soup with grilled cheese sandwiches (because, best combo ever!) I thought about ways to streamline this even more.. so I added notes on that below too!


The recipe for the simplest, most delicious tomato soup with fresh tomatoes, coming at ya!

HOMEMADE TOMATO SOUP

3-4lbs fresh tomatoes, cored & sliced in half side to side, seed removed
6 cloves peeled garlic
2 sweet onions (1-2 cups rough chopped)
Olive oil to drizzle (about 1/2 cup)
1 quart chicken or bone broth
Basil - 1/4 cup fresh chopped or 1 tsp dried or 1 drop Basil Vitality
Oregano - 1/8 cup fresh chopped or 1/2 tsp dried or 1 drop Oregano Vitality
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Line 1-2 baking sheets with foil.



I had a mix of tomatoes to start with so I just removed the stems of the grape tomatoes. I cored & sliced the big tomatoes in half side to side and removed the seeds. This part takes the longest.
I had several small onions from the garden, so I sliced them all up into even chunks and had just shy of 2 cups of chopped onions total.


Place the onion, garlic & sliced tomatoes cut side up on the lined baking sheets and drizzle with olive oil + sprinkle with salt & pepper.

Roast for 30-40 minutes, until the onions started to char.

Remove from the oven, let cool slightly then scrape all the oven roasted tomatoes, onions, garlic and olive oil into a blender or food processor and puree until it's your preferred chucky or smooth consistency. Do this in batches if needed. I used the Vitamix at moderate speed for 60-90 seconds.


Transfer your tomato/onion puree to a large stock pot and add a quart of broth and the basil + oregano. I opted for the Vitality oils - these are pure, made for recipes & cooking (more concentrated than extracts and without any fillers). The flavor is very potent and you only need one drop! You may also add more salt & pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let simmer 30-45 minutes. The soup will thicken and the flavors will meld.


You could also lower the heat at the end and add cream if you prefer.
Garnish away! We kept this round simple with Parmesan cheese & basil, but you could add any of the following:  sour cream, garlic croutons, goldfish crackers, crackers, roasted salsa or corn, or chopped, crispy bacon!


COOKING OPTIONS:

Roast everything the night before, puree & transfer/store overnight in the refrigerator to cool. The next morning, pour the puree + broth into your preference of:

a) Instant Pot:
+  Use your Instant Pot like a slower cooker with this option. Just add food as you normally would to a slow cooker, close the lid (or use a slow cooker lid) and then press the “Slow Cook” button.
+  Use the “Soup” button, low pressure for 20 minutes.

b) Slow Cooker: low heat for 8 hours.

Could alternately place roasted tomato/onion mixture in Instant Pot or Slow Cooker with broth and use an immersion blender before serving.

Make this?! I've love to see! Tag me at @mckenzie_wheeler on Instagram!