What to do with all the tomatoes?

Yes, I'm WAY late posting this recipe - does anyone even have tomatoes in their garden anymore? 

The frost has hit Wisconsin, & everything is all shriveled up & sad. But for those of you more south, perhaps your gardens are still going strong. Or, maybe you thought to freeze some of those overachieving fruits! We had gobs of cherry tomatoes - red & orange - so here's what I did with a lot of mine:

Roasted Tomato Soup

6 cups (3 pints) cherry tomatoes
3 TBSP olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 TBSP unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chopped onion
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp thyme
1 cup whipping cream 

Preheat oven to 400. On a baking sheet, combine the cherry tomatoes, 2 TBSP of the olive oil, & the salt & pepper. Toss the ingredients to coat evenly & spread in a single layer. Roast the tomatoes until they're shriveled with brown spots, about 35 to 45 minutes.

In a large pot, heat the butter & the remaining 1 TBSP olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic & onion & saute until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes with their juice, the broth, the thyme & the roasted tomatoes, including any liquid on the baking sheet. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat & simmer, partially covered, for 40 minutes.

Using a food processor or blender, puree the soup until it's smooth. Return it to the pot & stir in the cream. Without letting the soup boil, warm it over medium heat, stirring often, until steaming. Add salt & pepper, if necessary. 

Makes about 10 cups. 


I don't like tomato soup of any kind - I know, shocking - but my family loved it. I think they were surprised when they first tried it. They were expecting it to taste like canned soup. This isn't Campbell's Soup, people!