Oven Roasted Tomato Mozzarella Soup

The weather is definitely not appropriate soup weather, but I couldn't help myself. I have never made a soup before, but this oven roasted tomato mozzarella soup caught my eye and I knew it was time to make it anyways. This is a healthier version of tomato basil soup and I can't say that I missed the butter and cream too terribly much. The mozzarella is optional, but added a little something extra. Plus when it melted it created a extra layer of flavor. This soup was super simple to make, so it definitely made me confident in my soup making abilities. Soup just takes a little time to make, but the aroma from the ingredients is really intoxicating. I can honestly say that the aroma from the tomatoes, onion and garlic roasting made it smell like fall in the kitchen. If you are looking for a satisfying soup for those cooler autumn evenings, then be sure to give this a try.

Ingredients:

2 lbs ripe tomatoes (for me, this was 2 large heirloom tomatoes)
1 big white onion
4 cloves of garlic
2 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 ball of mozzarella
Pepper
Olive oil

Directions:
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat oven to 400F.

Wash and cut the tomatoes into eight pieces with the skin side down on the baking sheet. Peel the onion and cut into pieces and lay on the baking sheet. (I had chopped onions that I used, so I put those on the baking sheet for the last 10 minutes.) Peel and halve the garlic cloves. Then put the garlic cloves into the pieces of tomato. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast the veggies for 35 - 40 minutes. Mine were in the oven for 35 minutes.

Put the roasted veggies and juices into a large soup pot. Add in the vegetable broth, thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Bring the ingredients to a boil and then simmer on low for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Pour the soup into a blender and puree. I blended mine for about 4-5 minutes. It really depends on the consistency that you would like your soup to be. I can't say that the soup was perfectly smooth, but the tiny inconsistencies in the texture were okay with me.

You can either add thin slices or pieces of mozzarella to the soup or leave it out. You can also melt the mozzarella into the soup. I liked the mozzarella pieces in the soup because you got a little bit of cheese with every bite. You could also add some fresh thyme on top or serve with some toasted pieces of baguette. This is a wonderful soup that won't make you feel guilty and is full of fresh flavors. I can't wait for the next soup I get to make...now the weather needs to get a little cooler and everything will be much better!