New, Improved (and much simpler) Roasted Tomato-Basil Bisque

So I realized that almost every recipe that I post on here has been of soups. I guess I should make other foods, but I just love soup so damn much. So I guess I will keep the soups coming being that it's been raining and storming all day long so far.

When I first started this blog, I posted a tomato-basil soup that had a bunch of carrots and celery. It ended up being a little too chunky for my liking because I didn't have an immersion blender to break up the carrots. But I am happy to report that I have now found the PERFECT tomato-basil bisque. So I'm just going to get straight to the point and share all this deliciousness with you guys so you can make it.

Ingredients:

1 28 oz. can of HIGH-QUALITY Italian tomatoes (whole, peeled)--I used Muir Glen Organic Italian Tomatoes
1 large bunch basil
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 c. 2% milk, scalded
1 Tsp Dried Oregano
1/2 Small Yellow Onion Sliced Lengthwise
Salt and pepper

Halved Tomatoes, Basil, Oregano, Salt and Pepper (Before the onions were added)

Preheat the Oven to 300 degrees. 


Pour the can of tomatoes into a 9x13 baking dish and cut them in half. Add onions, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Drizzle with the olive oil, making sure that you push the onions down into the tomato juice and make sure you a good amount of oil on the onions so they don't burn (you can always add a little more oil if needed). Roast for 90 minutes until the sauce thickens up. 


This is what it should look like after you take it out of the oven. 

Tomatoes, basil, and onions after they are finished roasting

In a food processor, add the tomato mixture. Add another small handful of torn basil to the mixture. Before you start blending, you need to scald the milk. Scalding the milk you say? Basically just bring the milk up to a hotter temperature without burning it(Very Important!) to match the hot tomatoes more closely so it doesn't cool off the tomatoes too much. After you have scalded your milk, add it into the food processor with the tomato mixture and start blending until smooth, making sure to taste and adjust seasoning along the way(i.e.--salt/pepper,basil, garlic powder, oregano, etc.).

Pre-Blended Sans Milk!

Nice, Smooth Soup! So pretty!

Now if your soup has lost some of it's heat, you can pour it into a saucepan and warm up on the stove on medium, being careful not to boil it. Garnish with a few baby basil leaves and a swirl of olive oil and serve with a nice ham, cheddar, and apple panini. It was so delicious. I highly recommend everyone try this because it's so easy and it was really cheap to make. I think the tomatoes cost somewhere around $3 and the basil was $2. I already had milk and onions lying around so I didn't have to buy those. So this recipe is VERY friendly to the normal college kid's wallet. Just think about it, most of us will spend $5 at McDonalds or Taco Bell without even thinking twice. Why leave McDonalds feeling like a giant grease stain or super bloated from Taco Bell when you can make a very delicious meal at home with very little work?

Finished Product--YUM!