Core the tomatoes by slicing around the core with a small knife. Smaller tomatoes like Roma and Campari tomatoes do not need to be cored.

Cut the tomatoes in half. Small tomatoes like cherry tomatoes can be left whole.

Place the tomatoes skin-side down on a cookie sheet.

Peel and cut the onions into quarters and place them on the cookie sheet.

Peel the garlic cloves and place them on the cookie sheet.

Drizzle everything with the olive oil, and add the sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Roast at 375° F for 35 minutes or until the vegetables start to brown.

Transfer all the ingredients to a pot. Use a rubber spatula on the cookie sheet to get all the juices into the pot. 

Add the stock, butter, and basil, and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Start with 3 cups of stock and add more as needed. The soup should not be too liquid.

Purée the soup, using an immersion blender for easy cleanup, or a regular blender. If using a stand blender, let the soup cool first so the hot soup won't "explode" in the blender. 

Serve warm and top with homemade croutons for an extra touch.

Ingredients to roast for tomato soup

Roasted ingredients for soup

Simmer soup

Puréeing soup with an immersion blender

Roasted tomato soup with homemade croutons and basil

Homemade croutons

Notes:

The addition of butter and basil is divine but not necessary. 

Some recipes call for cream, but I prefer to skip it. The cream can dilute the tomatoes' caramelized flavor, and eliminating the cream saves a few calories.

I like to use bone broth to sneak in more nutrients, but chicken or vegetable broth or stock or vegetable stock works just fine. Use a good organic broth or stock versus bouillon cubes or powder for better nutrition and taste.

This soup freezes well, so you can make a few batches with summer tomatoes and enjoy it in the fall and winter. If you forget to thaw it ahead, run the container under hot water for a few minutes to loosen the soup from the container, then melt it in a pot on the stove.

Keep a batch of homemade croutons in the freezer and serve just a few on top of the soup. The addition of a few croutons might be the trick to make the soup more interesting to the kids! 

If you have leftover soup, cook it down until it thickens and use it as a pasta sauce or spread for toasted bread for a French bread pizza.