Roasted Tomato Soup

     My classroom at school is cold.  I'm not talking about it being a little bit chilly, it's downright cold.  I wear a hoodie over top of my dress clothes everyday and most of my students bring a coat when they come to my classroom.  I've complained about it numerous times but the custodian has assured me there is nothing he can do.  Most classrooms in the school have a thermostat they are able to control.  My thermostat has a lock box on it.  Why?  I have no idea.

     Since it's so cold in my room, typically from October until April, I always want something hot for lunch.  Even though it's May now, the past few days have still been cold.  Some days I just bring in a Lean Cuisine and other days I bring leftovers to heat up.  While those warm me up, nothing warms me up like a piping hot bowl of soup. 

      I've made numerous types of soup this year to take with me to work.  The one kind I've never made is tomato soup.  I think it's because every third Friday the cafeteria sells grilled cheese and tomato soup and I just have that for lunch.  I thought that was good enough but then I thought about the amount of sodium that must be in the school cafeteria's soup and I wanted to make my own.

    I was skeptical of how well I'd like it because in all honesty, I don't really like tomatoes all that much.  The good thing about this recipe is that the tomatoes are roasted in the oven before they are put into the soup.  It gives the soup and wonderful roasted flavor.  Both my husband and I enjoyed this soup.  I like that cream or half and half is added to make it a bit creamy at the end.  It was hearty enough to eat with some crackers or pita for lunch at work. 

Roasted Tomato Soup (adapted from Spoonful)
3 c. cherry tomatoes
1 T. olive oil
1 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
1 T. butter
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 (15 oz.) cans of diced tomatoes
4 c. vegetable broth
1/2 t. thyme
1/2 t. rosemary
1 c. fat free half and half

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2.  On a baking sheet combine the cherry tomatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Toss the ingredients to coat evenly and spread them out in a single layer.  Roast for 30-40 minutes or until the are shriveled with brown spots on them.

3.  In a large pot heat the butter.  Add the garlic and onions and saute for 5 minutes.  Add in the canned tomatoes, vegetable broth, thyme, rosemary, and the roasted tomatoes.

4.  Bring the soup to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer.  Simmer for 30-40 minutes.

5.  Pour the soup into a food processor and puree until smooth.  Return the soup to the pot and add the half and half.  Increase the heat to medium low and heat for an additional 5 minutes.

6.  Serve hot with grilled cheese sandwiches or crackers.

     My classroom at school is cold.  I'm not talking about it being a little bit chilly, it's downright cold.  I wear a hoodie over top of my dress clothes everyday and most of my students bring a coat when they come to my classroom.  I've complained about it numerous times but the custodian has assured me there is nothing he can do.  Most classrooms in the school have a thermostat they are able to control.  My thermostat has a lock box on it.  Why?  I have no idea.

     Since it's so cold in my room, typically from October until April, I always want something hot for lunch.  Even though it's May now, the past few days have still been cold.  Some days I just bring in a Lean Cuisine and other days I bring leftovers to heat up.  While those warm me up, nothing warms me up like a piping hot bowl of soup. 

      I've made numerous types of soup this year to take with me to work.  The one kind I've never made is tomato soup.  I think it's because every third Friday the cafeteria sells grilled cheese and tomato soup and I just have that for lunch.  I thought that was good enough but then I thought about the amount of sodium that must be in the school cafeteria's soup and I wanted to make my own.

    I was skeptical of how well I'd like it because in all honesty, I don't really like tomatoes all that much.  The good thing about this recipe is that the tomatoes are roasted in the oven before they are put into the soup.  It gives the soup and wonderful roasted flavor.  Both my husband and I enjoyed this soup.  I like that cream or half and half is added to make it a bit creamy at the end.  It was hearty enough to eat with some crackers or pita for lunch at work. 

Roasted Tomato Soup (adapted from Spoonful)
3 c. cherry tomatoes
1 T. olive oil
1 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
1 T. butter
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 (15 oz.) cans of diced tomatoes
4 c. vegetable broth
1/2 t. thyme
1/2 t. rosemary
1 c. fat free half and half

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2.  On a baking sheet combine the cherry tomatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Toss the ingredients to coat evenly and spread them out in a single layer.  Roast for 30-40 minutes or until the are shriveled with brown spots on them.

3.  In a large pot heat the butter.  Add the garlic and onions and saute for 5 minutes.  Add in the canned tomatoes, vegetable broth, thyme, rosemary, and the roasted tomatoes.

4.  Bring the soup to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer.  Simmer for 30-40 minutes.

5.  Pour the soup into a food processor and puree until smooth.  Return the soup to the pot and add the half and half.  Increase the heat to medium low and heat for an additional 5 minutes.

6.  Serve hot with grilled cheese sandwiches or crackers.