Meatless Monday: Burst Cherry Tomato and Chipotle Soup

I'm proving soup isn't just for cold days with this week's Meatless Monday recipe of Burst Cherry Tomato and Chipotle Soup.

Fresh cherry tomatoes are roasted until they start to burst along with garlic, onion and a touch of brown sugar. They go into the blender with other flavor enhancing ingredients and, my favorite, adobo sauce. The result is a sweet, smokey and spicy tomato soup that pairs perfectly with your favorite grilled cheese sandwich.

Don't let the idea of homemade soup scare you! The oven and the blender do most of the work to create this simple soup with layers of flavor as if it simmered for hours.

Find more vegetarian and dessert recipes on my blog!

Burst Cherry Tomato and Chipotle Soup
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 pints cherry tomatoes
• 1 yellow onion, halved - each half quartered
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (+ more for serving)
• 2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
• 2 - 3 teaspoons adobo sauce* (depending on desired spice level)
• juice 1 lime
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 4 teaspoons maple syrup
• Salt and pepper, for seasoning

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper

Toss the tomatoes, onion and garlic in 2 tablespoons olive oil, brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Spread on the baking sheet and bake for approximately 10 minutes or until the skins of the tomatoes are cracked and about to burst

Remove from the oven and set aside for a couple minutes. Place in a blender along with the adobo sauce, lime juice, paprika and maple syrup. Blend until smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper - I used 1/2 teaspoon salt

If the soup is not warm enough after blending, reheat in a medium pot over low heat until warmed through. Serve each bowl of soup with a healthy drizzle of olive oil

* Adobo sauce is found in a can of "chipotles in adobo". Use only the sauce and not the peppers for this recipe. They can likely be found in your local grocery store in the international section.