Ingredients
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1 (796 milliliter) can whole or diced tomatoes*
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4 cloves garlic, unpeeled and left whole
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1/2 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
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5–7 sprigs thyme
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2 teaspoons sugar
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1 tablespoon olive oil
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1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
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2–3 cups Easy Freezer and Fridge Stock
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Kosher salt
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Freshly ground black pepper
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Freshly squeezed lemon juice or a bit more balsamic, if needed
Crispy cheesy toast:
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2 slices bread
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2–3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
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1/4–1/2 cup grated cheese
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 375F and toss the tomatoes, garlic, onion, and thyme on a large rimmed baking sheet. Scatter the top with sugar and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the top of the vegetables with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and toss to coat.
- Roast in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring about halfway through.
- Meanwhile, heat two cups of the stock in a large pot over medium-low heat. When the vegetables are done, pick out the sprigs of thyme, carefully squash the roasted garlic out of its skin, discard the skin, and transfer all of the veggies to the pot of stock. Using an emersion or regular blender, blend the soup until it is smooth, adding more stock if needed. Give the soup a taste and season with salt, pepper, and a little lemon or balsamic if needed.
- *If you happen to have fresh tomatoes on hand that are going a little squidgy, feel free to use them instead or in addition to canned tomatoes. Simply dice them up and add them along with some canned tomatoes to the baking sheet. You just want to make sure you have about three cups of tomatoes to roast.
Crispy cheesy toast:
- Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium/medium-high heat.
- Butter both sides of the bread (a good drizzle of olive oil would also work here if you don’t have any butter) and place in the pan. Cook on each side until golden brown and well toasted.
- Remove the grilled bread from the pan and turn the heat to medium. Sprinkle in the cheese (whatever good grating cheese you have will work here – I like cheddar, parmesan, Swiss, and/or mozzarella) in two little piles that are about the size of each piece of toast and allow it to melt and bubble. When the cheese is melted, place the toast on top of the melted cheese and allow it to cook until the cheese is just starting to crisp.
- Remove the cheesy toast from the pan and serve, cheese side up, with your soup or cut into bite sides pieces and scatter on top of the soup for cheesy croutons.
