Creamy Balsamic Tomato Soup

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Combine 1/2 cup of broth, sugar, vinegar, and soy sauce in a small bowl. Line a 9×13 baking dish COMPLETELY with foil. Spray the foil with cooking spray. I PROMISE that this is an important step, or else you’ll end up with tomatoes stuck to your foil, then foil in your soup, and it’s just a nasty never-ending process that’s easier to avoid.

Place onion, garlic, and tomatoes in the dish, then pour the broth mixture over it. Bake for 50 minutes or until vegetables are lightly browned.

Place the tomato mixture into a blender. You might need to do this part in steps, because the hot vegetables sometimes explode in the blender and burn you…not fun. So fill the blender about halfway, and add the half-and-half as well as the remaining 1/2 cup of broth and process until smooth.

After blending all the vegetables, strain the mixture through a sieve into a bowl or pot. Discard the solids. If you had to blend the vegetables in stages, make sure you give it a nice stir to mix everything together before serving. Serve with some cracked black pepper, if desired.