In My Lunchbox This Week: Sun Dried Tomato, Basil & Roasted Garlic Soup

One of my favorite things to make for lunch in the fall and winter is a good homemade soup. I make a huge batch on a Sunday afternoon, portion it out, freeze it, and then just pack one as needed-- it's one of the easiest ways to pack a healthy homemade lunch every day of the week.

Tomato soup is one of my old favorites. It's super easy to make and even easier to doctor up with a few new ingredients to turn it into a totally different soup. I love the fresh flavor of a good tomato soup, but I wanted to add some deeper flavors here. Jarred sun dried tomatoes have a super intense tomato flavor, so pureeing them into this basic tomato soup really amps up the flavor. I also love the  flavor of roasted garlic-- the flavor is richer, but less pungent than raw or sauteed garlic and works perfectly in this soup.

This soup comes together really quickly and tastes great garnished with a little fresh basil and/or grated parmesan cheese. It's a perfect lunch or also a great accompaniment to a grilled cheese sandwich for a more well-rounded meal. This soup is also vegan... can't often say that about an A Squared recipe!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1/2 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 cups canned whole peeled tomatoes with liquid *Use San Marzano, if possible
• 3 cups vegetable stock
• 1/3 cup oil packed sun dried tomatoes, plus 1 tsp. reserved oil from the jar *Halved or julienne cut will both work
• 4 roasted garlic cloves *This recipe from Country Cleaver is super easy
• 1/4 cup basil leaves, thinly sliced
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Pour olive oil into a medium stockpot and heat over medium heat. Add onions and saute for 5-8 minutes, until softened, but not browned.

Add canned tomatoes, vegetable stock, sun dried tomatoes, reserved sun dried tomato oil, and garlic to the pot. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and continue to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add half of the sliced basil and season with salt and pepper. Cook for another 10 minutes.

Remove soup from heat and allow it to cool closer to room temperature. Using a blender or a handheld immersion blender, puree the soup mixture until mostly smooth. I like to leave a few small chunks for texture. Return soup to the stockpot and heat. Season with additional salt and pepper as needed, garnish with remaining basil, and serve.