Chunky Tomato Basil Soup

This has been one of my favorite recipes for the past few years. The main issue with this soup is my tomatoes and basil are never at their best at the same time. These tomatoes were a lucky find at the farmers market. They still had great flavor and color. The weather has been oddly warm and the basil lasted a bit longer than normal. Which gave me the opportunity to share this recipe with you.

• 3 lbs. plum and roma tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 1/2 tbsp black pepper
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 2 large carrots, chopped
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 6-10 cloves garlic finely chopped (I like a lot, but not everyone loves garlic as much as me.)
• red pepper flakes to taste
• 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 3-4 cups fresh basil (This is what I normally use, but this batch only had about 2 or 3 since it was the end of the season.)
• 1 sprig fresh thyme (just the leaves)
• 1 quart vegetable broth

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place halved tomatoes on a rimmed baking sheet or casserole dish. Mix with 1/4 cup of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 45 minutes. If you want, remove the skins after the tomatoes have been baked.

Melt butter in a large stock pot over medium heat. Saute onions, carrots, and celery for a few minutes. Then add garlic and red pepper flakes. Saute everything until onions are clear. Add roasted tomatoes (including all the juice from the pan), vegetable stock, canned tomatoes, basil, and thyme. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for around 45 minutes.

I prefer the soup chunky but feel free to puree it completely. Just remove from the heat and puree using an immersion blender or food processor. I only slightly pureed the soup but if you want this soup very chunky you can skip this step completely.