It started as an experiment.  Cream of tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich has always been a favorite.  But we read that roasting the tomatoes brings out more flavor.  We had to try.

We started with our favorite cream of tomato soup recipe, a soup sprinkled with bacon bits, and made it with roasted tomatoes.  Our favorite soup just got better.  It is better when the tomatoes are roasted.

To roast the tomatoes, we used our rack and baking sheet.  For us, this is a multi-purpose roasting tool.  We lined the baking sheet for easy clean up, set the rack into the pan, and baked whole tomatoes from the can.  (More directions are in the recipe below.

Ingredients

6 slices bacon
4 14.5-ounce cans whole tomatoes
3 tablespoons butter
1 stalk celery, diced
1/2 sweet onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon ground dried thyme
salt
white pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees

  1. Cook the bacon to a crisp and snip it into 1/4-inch pieces.  Set it aside.
  2. Drain the tomatoes in a colander reserving the juice for another purpose.  Place the whole tomatoes on a rack set over a baking sheet that is lined with foil.  Bake the tomatoes for 20 to 30 minutes or until they change color and the excess liquid has evaporated.
  3. Melt the butter in a Dutch oven or pot.  Cook the celery, onion, and garlic until the vegetables are tender and the onion is translucent.
  4. Sprinkle the flour over the buttery vegetables and stir with a whisk to make a lump-free paste.
  5. Gradually add the broth, stirring with the whisk to make sure that lumps do not form.  Add the thyme and salt and pepper to taste.  Simmer for eight to ten minutes on medium low heat.
  6. Pour the mixture through a strainer.  Set the liquid aside.  Blend the solids and the roasted tomatoes, a little at a time, in the blender.
  7. Mix the pureed solids and the liquid together (but not the tomato juice which you will not use in this recipe).  Pass the mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove any chunks and tomato seeds. Return the strained liquid to the pan.  Add the cream.  Cook for five minutes.  Adjust the seasoning if needed.
  8. To serve, ladle hot soup into each bowl.  Sprinkle with bacon bits.
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