Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

Now that the cold weather has set in, there is nothing better than a good tomato soup recipe.  This is one of my favorites, and I am pretty sure I ate most of it.  It was great for leftovers with grilled cheese sandwiches!  I made this in my Dutch oven on the stove, but you could also use a slow cooker.  Enjoy!

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

Ingredients

2 (28 ounce) cans whole tomatoes

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons brown sugar

6 ounces tomato paste

2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable if you prefer)

5 garlic cloves, pressed

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/4 cup fresh basil, shredded (about 10 large leaves)

5 ounces evaporated milk

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Drain and reserve juices from tomatoes (there should be about 3 cups of juice).  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.  Place tomatoes in a single layer on foil.  Sprinkle with brown sugar and chopped onion.  Bake for 30-40 minutes until slightly brown and tomatoes appear dry.  Dice tomatoes, careful of the hot juice!  In a crock pot or large pot, combine roasted tomato mixture, reserved juice, tomato paste, chicken broth, garlic, and allspice.  If using a pot, simmer for 4-6 hours over low heat.  In a crock pot, cook for 8 hours on low.  Add basil, evaporated milk, salt, and pepper.  Turn heat on crock pot up to high, or continue to simmer in pot for additional 30 minutes.