Welcome to Tasty Tuesday at Things to Do In New Jersey! Is there anything more “August in Jersey-ish” than a juicy, ripe tomato? If there is, I can’t think of one. I found myself with an abundance of tomatoes accumulating in my kitchen yesterday, so I decided to cook up a pot of this delicious Tomato Basil Soup. The great thing about this soup is that it can be served hot or cold, and it freezes really well. So it makes a great meal on a scorching hot summer day – just thaw and serve! But that won’t be an option for this particular batch of soup, since my boys made pretty short work of it! (Mental note: Next time double the recipe!)

Tomato Basil Soup

3 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1-1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 yellow onions, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
4 cups fresh basil leaves
One 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
1 quart low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Toss together the tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 40 minutes.

In a large stockpot, sauté the onions and garlic with the remaining olive oil, butter, and red pepper flakes for about 10 minutes, or until the onions start to brown. Remove pan from heat.

Transfer the roasted tomatoes (with cooking liquid) and onion mixture to a food processor and add the basil. Process until you reach desired consistency. I like mine to have a course texture, but you can make it smooth if you prefer. (Note: If you own an immersion blender, you can streamline the processing of the tomatoes and onions by simply adding the roasted tomatoes and their liquid to the onions in the stockpot and processing it all right in the pot.)

Pour the processed tomato mixture back into the stockpot. Add the crushed tomatoes and stock. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes. Serve hot or cold.