A few weeks ago, I revisited a recipe I first posted here 13 years ago. It’s my favorite way to preserve my summer tomato and herb harvest. I spread them on a sheet pan with some garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil and slow roast for a couple of hours. I transfer the tomatoes to jars, add a little more olive oil and freeze them so they are ready to go all winter long.

I mentioned that I love to use these tomatoes in soups, stews and sauces. And they are the key to making a really wonderful roasted tomato soup that simply must be accompanied by a classic grilled cheese.

So when I spotted this question – I knew I had to respond with an answer.

This is one of those dishes that’s more of a method than an exact recipe – which is why it’s great for building confidence in the kitchen and reduces the reliance on written out instructions. You can also use this plan to create other lovely roasted vegetable soups.

Here’s what I do:

• In a dutch oven or pot (avoid stainless steel or cast iron when cooking with tomatoes), heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil
• Add some chopped carrots, onion and celery (this doesn’t have to be a tiny chop as you’ll puree it all later)
• Season with salt and pepper and cook about 3-4 minutes
• Add the roasted tomatoes and stir to combine
• Add enough chicken broth to just cover the vegetables – if you’re a little short, add water
• Simmer for about 10-15 minutes
• Transfer to a high speed blender and blend until smooth or use an immersion blender for a more textured soup
• Return the soup to the pot, add a splash of heavy cream and keep on a low heat for about 5 more minutes.

For this batch I used the following measurements:

• 2 small carrots, chopped
• 1 stalk of celery, chopped
• 1/2 cup of chopped yellow onion
• 3 cups roasted tomatoes with herbs and garlic)
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

These amounts resulted in about 40 ounces of soup. You can adjust the measurements according to what you have – I find that it’s helpful to start with whatever your “main” soup ingredient is (in this case – the tomatoes) and then prepare 1/3 of the amount of the “main” in mirepoix.

For example – I used 3 cups of the tomatoes here. One-third of 3 cups is 1 cup – so I prepped 1 cup carrot/celery/onion. The broth just needs to cover the veg and then you measure the cream with your heart, of course.

Enjoy!