Roasted Tomato Bisque

Last night we wanted grilled cheese and tomato soup. I have some Costco tomato soup in the freezer, but I decided I wanted to make some from scratch. Of course, I thought roasting fresh tomatoes would be superior to canned. I added some white wine and fresh aromatics. The secret to a creamy soup without a ton of calories is evaporated 2% milk. Somehow, evaporated 2% milk has the same amount of calories as evaporated skim milk, so that was my choice. It still has things added to it, but I thought maybe it would be less altered than the skim.

Roasted tomato bisque with grilled black forest ham & cheddar & chèvre on homemade bread

Roasted Tomato Bisque
2 1/2 lb vine tomatoes (choose organic if it's not too cost-prohibitive), halved with stem removed
oil spray
1 to 2 T butter
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
2 large celery stalks, chopped
4 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
1/2 t dried thyme
1 C white wine (I used pinot grigio)
4 C chicken stock
1 can (12 oz) evaporated 2% milk
salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 450°F. Lay tomatoes on a baking sheet, spray with oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for about 45 minutes, until tomatoes are soft and caramelized.

In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and cook until it starts to brown. Add the carrot, celery, garlic, and thyme and cook for another 5-10 minutes, until the carrot starts to soften. Pour in the wine, deglaze the pot, and bring it to a boil.

Let the wine cook down a bit (just a few minutes), then add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Carefully add the tomatoes to the soup.

Deglaze the baking sheet with some liquid from the pot and pour it into the soup. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let the soup simmer until the carrots are tender. Puree the soup either with an immersion blender or by ladling it into a blender.

After blending, strain it for a less rustic texture. I like it rustic, so I didn't strain it. Stir in the evaporated milk and bring it back up to temperature if you used a regular blender because it will have cooled.

Serve (preferably with grilled cheese)!

Serves 6 (that's 3 big ladle-fulls).