Roasted Tomato Soup

A go-to comfort food of mine is a grilled cheese sandwich with a bowl of warm tomato soup. Tomato soup is very simple to make and so customizable as far as flavors go. This recipe is fresh tasting and makes the house smell so delicious. Add shredded chicken or a sprinkle of fresh basil and parmesan to bring it over the top.

Don't forget to add as much of the caramelized
juices from the pan.

Roasted Tomato Soup
Ingredients:

• 2 pounds ripe tomatoes, rinsed and sliced
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder (or 3 garlic cloves, smashed)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth (more or less depending on preference for thickness)

Directions:
Heat oven to 400. Place tomatoes, onions, garlic, oregano and oil on a baking sheet. Toss to coat.
Roast tomatoes for 20-30 minutes, they will be shriveled and the juices will have started to caramelize. Put the contents of the pan, including all the yummy bits that can be scraped off the pan, into a blender. Add one cup of broth and blend. Careful as the contents will be hot. Continue to blend, adding additional broth until desired thickness is reached. Serve warm with grilled cheese or BLT, I'm hungry!

Yield: 4 servings

Note:
There are endless possibilities for flavor additions to this soup. For a heartier meal, I have added chicken and garbanzo beans and even grilled corn and shrimp!

One Pot Pasta

I finally decided to see what all the hype was about regarding the One Pot Pasta dish that's been making its way around Facebook and, you know what, I was pleasantly surprised! Not only was it easy, it was delicious. It had a creaminess that I was not expecting and the pasta cooked perfectly, not the least bit soggy. I can see this dish making normal rounds in my monthly dinner menu. It makes quite a bit too, we had tons of left overs for lunch the next day.

Tasty with some crumbled goat's cheese.

 

One Pot Pasta (loosely adapted from Martha Stewart's One-Pan Pasta)

Ingredients:

• 1 - 16 ounce box of spaghetti or linguine pasta
• 1 - 14 ounce can diced tomatoes with juices
• 4-6 ounces sliced mushrooms
• 2 handfuls of spinach, frozen is fine
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flake
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 cups of stock
• 2 1/2 cups water
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat oil in large saucepan, add mushrooms, onion and garlic. Cook until onion is soft, 3-5 minutes. 

Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and let cook for 8-10 minutes, stir a couple times to prevent a clump of noodles from forming on the bottom of the pan.

When noodles have reached desired doneness, turn off heat and let set for 5 minutes tossing one to two times to let the sauce evenly coat the pasta.

Serve warm sprinkled with your favorite cheese.

 

Yields: 4-6 large servings

 

I'm going to try this dish with different flavors, maybe with shrimp and peanut sauce...I'll keep you updated!