My friend (in real life and on the web), Emily from One Lovely Life, is here today sharing a perfectly simple soup recipe. I can’t wait to make this soon with a big loaf of Rustic Italian bread. Dinner heaven! My favorite part about making a healthy meatless meal is that I never feel guilt about serving and enjoying dessert later in the evening. Take it away, Emily!

November is such a beautiful month. All the craziness of Halloween is over, and thoughts turn to family, harvest, and feeling thankful. I love that tiny breath of peace before the rush of the holidays takes over. It’s a time to slow down, look inward, look outward, and look around you to see all the goodness and life there is to be had!

When I’m feeling this way, I find myself gravitating to soup. The way the air gets steamy and thick as it simmers, the way the smell fills the house and greets you as you walk in the door, and the calming warmth as you eat spoonful after spoonful. Yep, it’s exactly what these days call for.

This tomato basil soup is smooth and rich without a trace of cream. The roasted tomatoes and fresh basil blend right together and with a bit of simmering time, that flavor gets so deep and savory! It’s simple, delicious ingredients prepared well. Part of the fun is topping it anyway…

My Other Recipes

Ideas for serving:

I love this steaming hot without anything other than a big pile of basil for garnish.
I used to love this with cheddar and pepper gougeres (cheese puffs).
Or, kick your grilled cheese up a notch and try ham and cheese with pesto. Y-U-M.
My little ones like little triangles of toast for dipping.
You can also try a batch of homemade croutons, or, if you’re feeling really awesome, you can try it with grilled cheese croutons.
For a twist, you can swap out the canned tomatoes with fire roasted tomatoes and the basil with cilantro, then serve it with quesadillas.
Swirl in a bit of fresh cream. It will be rich and delicious without being overwhelmingly thick.

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Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

3 lbs fresh tomatoes, halved or quartered if large
1 medium onion, large diced
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 (14oz) can tomatoes
2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup fresh basil, plus more for garnish
salt and pepper

Instructions

Toss the fresh tomatoes and onion in olive oil. Spread out onto a baking sheet and season liberally with salt and pepper. Roast at 400 degrees for 40-60 minutes, or until blistered and blackened around the edges.
Scoop the roasted tomatoes into a soup pot. Add garlic, canned tomatoes, and broth. Add in the basil. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, and simmer soup for at least 15-30 minutes, or up to an hour.
Working in batches, puree the soup till smooth in a blender or food processor. (If you have an immersion blender, you can use it directly in the pot of soup).
Taste and add additional salt or pepper to taste. Garnish with additional fresh basil.