Ingredients
Scale
- 3½ pounds tomatoes, halved
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 large onion, quartered
- 1 head garlic, trimmed ½ inch from the top
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1–1 ½ cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup basil leaves
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 6 slices baguette
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar or gruyere
Instructions
- Heat oven to 450°F.
- Add tomatoes—we used Roma and Campari tomatoes, but you can really use anything!—onions, head of garlic, and thyme to a baking dish. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt, pepper, paprika, and red pepper flakes. Roast until tomatoes have softened and are golden brown on top, 35 to 45 minutes.
- Remove thyme and discard. Squeeze garlic cloves from the bulb into a blender and discard skins. Transfer remaining tomato mixture to the same blender and add in basil. Blitz until smooth, add broth, and blitz again. Add remaining ½ cup broth if the soup’s too thick.
- Transfer soup to a large pot. Bring soup to a simmer, stir in heavy cream, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Preheat broiler, place bowls on a baking sheet, and divide soup among bowls. Layer a slice of bread on top of each bowl of soup, evenly sprinkling cheese on top of each. Broil until cheese is bubbly and brown, 3 to 4 minutes.