Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

OMG! Finally! I finally found a tomato soup recipe that is incredibly, deliciously, scrumptiously good!! Barefoot Contessa really knows how to put a recipe together. There's layers of flavor in this soup from the garlic to the hint of spice to the tomato flavor, of course. Heaven! That's what this soup is! It's also really simple to make and it's oh so good! Please do yourself a favor and make this soup ASAP! Forget the tomato soup I made a couple years ago. Make THIS one!! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

3 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise (I used 7 tomatoes on a vine and didn't cut them)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 (28-ounce) canned plum tomatoes, with their juice
4 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 quart chicken stock or water

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Next, take your tomatoes and smother them with 1/4 cup of olive oil, the salt, and the pepper. Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes. 

Take a large stock pot, and add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the butter, onions, red pepper flakes, and garlic. Sautee for 10 minutes until the onions turn a slight brown color. Then, add in the canned tomatoes and the basil. Next, pour in the roasted tomatoes along with the juice from the pan. Bring this to a boil and then simmer uncovered for an additional 40 minutes. Next, use an Immersion Blender or carefully transfer a little at a time into a blender and puree the soup. Serve warm and garnish with additional basil leaves if desired. Enjoy!