Tomato Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Tomato and roasted red pepper soup makes for a great first course for Christmas meals or a light dinner on Christmas Eve. Double the batch and freeze for an easy, produce-filled soup for busy nights to serve with baked grilled cheese. Thaw frozen Tomato & roasted red pepper soup in the refrigerator overnight and reheat when you need it.

Ingredients

5 lbs whole GREEHOUSE tomatoes, halved and cored (3 medium globe tomatoes is about a pound, 8 plum tomatoes, and about 25 cherry tomatoes)
2-3 GREENHOUSE red bell peppers, halved and cored
3 tablespoon olive oil
1 large sweet variety onion, diced
4 carrots, grated
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
3-4 tbsp fresh basil
2 tbsp fresh thyme
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly oil a sheet pan (or 2 if needed). Cut in half and core all tomatoes and red peppers and place them cut-side down on the sheet pan. Place pan(s) in the oven and roast until the skins are black and bubbly, about 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow them to cool until you can comfortably and easily pinch the skins off the tomatoes and peppers. Discard the skins. Drain off the water that cooked out of the vegetables while roasting. Either discard or reserve water for a different use.
2. In a large Dutch oven or stock pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering but not smoking, add diced onions and grated carrots. 3. Add salt and pepper to taste and allow the vegetables to cook until the onions are translucent and the carrots begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and allow to cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir frequently to prevent garlic from burning.
3. Add tomatoes, peppers and broth to the stock pot. Pulling apart the tomatoes and peppers with your hands as you add them to the pot. Add fresh or dried basil and thyme. Stir well to combine. Allow the soup to cook for 30-40 minutes for all the vegetables to soften and flavors to combine.
4. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup to your desired consistency. 6. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Serve hot with fresh thyme leaves for garnish!

Recipe courtesy of Red Sun Farms https://www.redsunfarms.com/