Considering I had so many tomatoes, I decided that I wanted to make a big pot of tomato soup and I thought that roasting the tomatoes would bring even more flavor to the soup. I had a bowl of this soup for lunch today, it was rustic and had so much flavor. I had a bit of a stuffy head today, so the heat from the soup and the hint of spice from the red pepper flakes really did wonders for me. This is a very simple recipe, with just a few ingredients and it could be served hot or if you like gazpacho, it would also be great cold.

Roasted Tomato Soup with Garlic and Basil
serves 4

3 pounds plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
6 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons minced garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon (or more) dried crushed red pepper
6 cups low-salt organic vegetable stock
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
8 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place tomatoes, cut side up, on large baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle tomatoes with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Roast until tomatoes are brown and tender, about 1 hour. Cool slightly.

Transfer tomatoes and any accumulated juices to processor. Using on/off turns, process until slightly chunky.

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, rosemary, thyme, about 1/4 of the fresh basil and dried crushed red pepper. Add vegetable stock; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until soup thickens slightly, about 25 minutes. Stir in the remaining basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve.

If you want to make it a day or two ahead of time (it keeps very well), remove the soup from heat, save the fresh basil. Rewarm the soup over medium-high heat before continuing. Then stir in the remaining basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve.