Tomato and basil are truly a perfect pairing. Turn it into soup and add grilled cheese and it only gets better. Something about this combination is so comforting to me. One bite and I am brought back to being a little kid at the dinner table with family or being in college and sitting around with my girlfriends eating this at least once a week during the colder months.
Many versions of tomato basil soup contain heavy cream or some other form of dairy. I wanted to keep mine dairy free (yes, even the grilled ‘cheese’ is dairy free.. see below) and make sure it was Whole 30 and Paleo compliant, so I could enjoy it guilt free. Or, so I could maintain balance and add a bunch of bread on the side. Life is all about balance, right? It was not nearly as difficult a task to find a recipe that could be made compliant as I thought. The grilled ‘cheese’ is obviously not compliant, but the soup itself is and is still delicious without all the carby wonderful goodness. Get this tomato basil soup recipe below.
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 pounds of Roma tomatoes, sliced
- 1 large container (or about 1+ pounds) of cherry tomatoes
- 4 Tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 yellow onions, sliced
- 8 cloves of garlic
- 2 cups of fresh basil
- 4 cups of vegetable broth
- Salt + pepper
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
- Slice your Roma tomatoes in half, lengthwise. Toss the sliced Roma and cherry tomatoes with 3 Tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Then, place the tomatoes on a rimmed baking sheet, with the cut side facing up.
- Slice your onions into about 1/2 an inch thick slices. Toss the onions and garlic with 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Then, place on a rimmed baking sheet.
- When the oven is preheated, put both baking sheets in the oven, side by side. Cook for about 40 minutes or until the onions and tomatoes are golden. The tomatoes may need 5-10 extra minutes than the onions.
- Remove from the oven. Also remove any burnt onion pieces and peel the tomatoes, then discard any burnt pieces and peels.
- Pour onions, garlic, and tomatoes into a large stock pot. Add vegetable broth and basil. Season with additional salt and pepper. Bring ingredients to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. *You can add additional vegetable broth if you prefer your soup thinner at this time.*
- Finally, blend the soup with either an immersion blender or in several batches in a blender (don’t fill completely).
- Serve with additional fresh basil and with grilled cheese, if desired and enjoy!
*I used dairy free cheddar style cheese found at Whole Foods to keep my whole meal dairy free. It is made using coconut milk and it was delicious in the sandwiches and with the soup!
Good work, keep it up!