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Every now and then I find myself trying to spruce up an ordinary pantry staple, and this time it was a can of tomato soup. Despite my meal planning, I had some extra zucchini in the fridge. I decided to roast the zucchini and blend it with the can of tomato soup and some fresh basil from my garden, and the final product was infinitely tastier than plain tomato soup. Then I thought, who needs canned tomato soup anyway; garden tomatoes are everywhere right now, and a soup made completely from fresh foods sounds super delicious and healthy.

 

So here’s a flavorful roasted vegetable soup, that’s full of whole veggies like tomato, zucchini, red pepper, onion, jalapeno, and basil. My husband thought it was awesome, and he claims to not even like soup that much. I think it’s an ideal balance of multiple vegetables, so none singularly overpowers the taste buds. If you want a creamier soup, add in some skim milk or nonfat plain Greek yogurt when you reheat it–plus it adds some protein.

 

This a great way to get in extra veggies with a work lunch, or dinner later in the week. You can portion and freeze the soup in individual Tupperware containers, just thaw as needed.

 

 

 

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{Fresh Roasted Vegetable Soup}

This roasted vegetable soup is great with a sandwich or wrap at lunch, or to reheat for dinner. Getting in an extra serving of vegetables never tasted so delicious.

 

Servings: 5 (slightly more than 1 cup each)

 

Ingredients

2 1/2 lbs tomatoes, (I used vine-ripened)

2 medium zucchini

1/2 of a yellow onion

5 whole garlic cloves

2 red peppers

1 large jalapeno pepper

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup packed fresh basil or 1 tbsp dried basil

1 tsp unrefined salt

 

Directions
1. Chop tomatoes into 1 -2 inch pieces, seeds and all, and roast on a large roasting pan or baking sheet at 425 F for 20 minutes. Once cooked, drain extra tomato liquid through a strainer.

2. While tomatoes are cooking, roughly chop remaining vegetables into 1-2 inch pieces (except the cloves–leave them whole), and coat with olive oil in a mixing bowl, then pour veggies on a medium-sized baking sheet, and roast at at 425 F for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. The vegetables should be lightly charred.

3. Combine cooked tomatoes, vegetables, basil and salt into a high-powered blender (I used my Vitamix) and blend until smooth. You can also combine in batches in a food processor.

 

Nutrition per serving:  130 cal, 6 g fat (1 g sat fat), 17 g carb, 4 g pro, 5 g fiber

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