Roasted Heirloom Tomato Soup with Parmesan Herb Croutons

Heirloom tomatoes are a bit pricey but they also might be more nutritious than regular tomatoes. Studies are being done to prove this theory but no conclusive evidence has surfaced yet. They are however more flavorful. I also love how weird looking they are. Tomatoes with character. Combine these beauties with the benefits of onions, garlic, avocado, and nutritional yeast and you have one healthy delicious soup. As for the croutons, I actually don’t like croutons. I never eat them when they come on a salad that I order so I have no idea why I was compelled to make my own. I have never tried croutons in a soup before. Fortunately it was perfect especially for a pureed soup it’s nice to have a little crunch to disrupt the smooth consistency.

Note: This would be soy free if you choose not to use the non-dairy cream cheese or the vegan parmesan.

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds heirloom tomatoes, cores removed and quartered
• 2 onions, peeled and cut into 8 pieces
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled
• oil
• salt and pepper
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 2 avocados, pits removed and peeled
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons bail
• 1 teaspoon rosemary
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 4 ounces non-dairy cream cheese (optional)
  

For croutons:

• Stale bread of choice: Italian, rye, pumpernickel, or a gluten-free bread (I used a 3.25 ounce loaf of Italian)
• oil
• vegan parmesan
• Italian herb mix

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Place tomatoes, onions, and garlic in a baking dish. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper.
3. Bake for 30 minutes.
4. Transfer roasted veggies to a large pot and add all other ingredients except the cream cheese. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Remove bay leaves. Use an immersion blender to puree soup or transfer contents to a blender and blend until smooth.
6. Taste to adjust seasonings. On low heat add cream cheese and stir until it has incorporated.
7. Serve with croutons.

For croutons:

1. Lower heat of oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cube bread and place in a bowl. Drizzle with oil and add parmesan and herbs. Don’t drown the bread in oil, use just enough to coat. For the amount of bread I had I used 2 teaspoons of parmesan and 1 teaspoon of herbs. Toss to coat.
3. Transfer to a baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes. Stir once. Make sure to watch so they don’t burn.