Tomato-Basil Soup

I love to make this soup when my beefsteak tomatoes are at the peak of production. So good! I modified it from a recipe on Our Best Bites that calls for sun-dried tomatoes (which I never have on hand).

1 T olive oil 
1 C chopped onion
¾ C shredded carrot
4 cloves garlic, minced 
1 tsp sugar

1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp pepper 
1 Tbs dried basil 
1/2 tsp dried oregano 
Enough fresh garden tomatoes, halved, to fill one large jelly roll pan*
1 (14oz) can chicken broth 
4 oz cream cheese, cubed

1.     Line jelly roll pan with foil. Arranged halved tomatoes cut side up and sprinkle with fresh garlic. Broil in the oven for about 1 hour, or just until the tops of the tomatoes start to brown.

2.     Meanwhile, place oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and carrot and cook for 3-4 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring often. Then remove from heat and set aside until your tomatoes are done broiling.

3.     Puree the broiled tomatoes and add to the vegetable mixture.

4. Then add chicken broth, sugar, salt, pepper, oregano and basil.
   Bring soup to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer.  Cover pan and simmer for anywhere from 30 minutes to 8 hours (I love to make this right after breakfast and then let it simmer all day. Yum.)
5. Before serving, add the cream cheese and blend to desired consistency with an immersion blender.

*When I don’t have fresh tomatoes from my garden, I substitute a jar of home-canned tomatoes, with about half of the excess water drained, and I sauté the garlic with the onions and carrots. It’s almost as good as the fresh broiled tomatoes, but not quite.