Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

This recipe was surprisingly very easy, so don't be fooled or intimidated by the cook time of 1 hour and 45 minutes. The end result was incredibly fresh tasting, and left you feeling satisfied and happy.


The Review:
Being a little green with my cooking, I didn't bother to learn my measurements before going grocery shopping--problem #1. The recipe calls for 4 cups of basil leaves, but the packages measure in ounces. I only had enough basil for about 3.5 cups, and the end result was perfectly fine. If you want to brush up on your cooking measurements, go here: GoodCooking.com


I only needed 1 yellow onion, as opposed to the 2 onions noted in the recipe, so that meant I had to find a creative way to use another one and a half yellow onions before it went bad. The recipe was also a bit deceiving. I'm used to "multi-tasking" recipes. Multi-tasking recipes are the kinds of recipes that break everything into stages, but often times has two stages going at one time. (i.e. bake this, while prepping this) So that's how I approached the recipe: I put the tomatoes in the oven, and then started getting the next step ready...big mistake. It didn't ruin the recipe, as I stopped everything before the onions got fully cooked, but you have to wait for the tomatoes in the oven to finish roasting because you need them for the next step. Alas, crisis averted, I turned off the stovetop and waited for the tomatoes to finish.

Overall, the process was pretty hands off, with just a little bit of prep work. The recipe made a large amount of soup, which is great for large groups or for eating leftovers. The recipe calls for a food mill, which I don't own, and only later did I learn that you could use a blender as a substitute. So, the soup was a bit more hearty and chunky than maybe it was intended to be, but I really didn't mind at all!

The final verdict:
I would definitely make this recipe again. If I did make it, I would probably scale it down a bit, so as not to make so much of it. I love soup, but it's not something I'd want to eat every day for a week. ;) I really like how easy it is to make such a healthy and tasty meal, and it was, of course, incredibly simple to throw some grilled cheese sandwiches on the grill. (Took maybe 10 minutes, if that, to cook)

The receipt:
28 oz can of diced tomatos= $3.50
1 yellow onion=$1.00
Basil leaves=$3.00
Thyme=$1.00
Garlic=$.50
1 lb. roma tomatos=$4.00
1 qt. chicken broth=$2.00
**All other ingredients, I already had in the cupboard/fridge

TOTAL: Approx.. $17.00

Not bad for a meal that could easily feed 6-8 people. Imagine how much cheaper the meal would be if I scaled it down to only feed 2-3.

Recipe link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roasted-tomato-basil-soup-recipe/index.html

UPDATE: I'm moving into a new place this weekend (woo hoo), so I apologize for things slowing down a bit on the blog...it's been crazzzy!