Back to the Cutting Board

Roasted Yellow Tomato Soup

adapted from Bon Appetit, April 2001 ^[1]

Soup | Servings: 3-5
Prep time: 15 min | Cook time: 1 hour | Total time: 1 hour 15 min

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. yellow tomatoes, cut in half (or quarters if very large) and seeded (substitute: red or orange tomatoes)
• 1 large onion, peeled and cut into wedges
• 1 yellow pepper, ribs and seeds removed, cut into 1-inch strips (substitute: red or orange pepper)
• 1 red jalapeno pepper, cut in half (remove seeds for a less spicy soup)*
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 6 bacon slices (about 5 ounces), chopped
• 1/2 cup dry Sherry**
• 2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth**
• 1/2 tsp. liquid smoke (optional)
• 1 tbsp. fresh chopped oregano leaves or 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 cup heavy cream***
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

Process

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F).
2. Place all the vegetables on a large baking sheet (you may need to use two pans). Drizzle with olive oil (I never bother measuring it) and sprinkle with salt. Toss until the vegetables are well coated. Roast for about 30 minutes or until the tomatoes are wrinkly and the edges of the onions are starting to get crispy and dark.
3. Remove from the oven and transfer the vegetables to a food processor or blender. Process until the vegetables are as smooth or chunky as you like. I like a fairly smooth soup so I processed mine for a while.
4. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large dutch oven or pot over medium heat.
5. Pour the vegetable puree into the pot and add the sherry. Simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Add the chicken broth and liquid smoke. Simmer, uncovered, until reduced slightly, about 15 minutes.
7. Stir in oregano.
8. Pour in cream and stir until heated through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve.

Recipe Notes:

*You can substitute 1 to 2 tsp. (depending on how spicy you like things) of minced canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, but omit the liquid smoke. Add to the soup along with the oregano.

**The original recipe calls for 1/2 cup Sherry and 1/2 cup dry white wine. I happened to have Sherry on hand so I used it and increased the amount of broth by 1/2 cup. Feel free to use both (or neither). Also, if you like thinner soup increase the amount of broth by 1/2 – 1 cup. You can always reduce it down if you add too much.

***To cut some calories, substitute half and half, low-fat evaporated milk or even low-fat sour cream. Or to make this soup even creamier, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup heavy cream.

To make this soup Paleo compliant, use full fat coconut milk instead of cream. You can also omit the sherry and liquid smoke.