1leekdark green leaves removed, cleaned well and chopped
2carrotscleaned, quartered and diced
1zucchinichopped
2Yukon gold potatoescleaned and diced into bite sized pieces
2clovesgarlicfinely chopped
2teaspoonItalian seasoning
1teaspoonsalt
½teaspoonblack pepper
pinchred pepper flakes
1tablespoonbutter
4cupschicken or vegetable brothlow sodium
olive oil, salt & pepperfor drizzling over tomatoes
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350.
Cover the cookie sheet with parchment paper or tin foil. This will make clean-up a breeze!
Cut the ends off the tomatoes and slice them in half lengthwise. Lay the tomatoes on a cookie sheet with the cut side up.
Chop the garlic and sprinkle each tomato with a bit of garlic and then drizzle with olive oil. Salt and pepper each tomato half. Roast in the oven for 40 minutes.
When tomatoes are done roasting, remove them from the oven. Flip them over and remove the skin from the tomatoes. The skin of the tomato will peel off easily, discard the skin. Cut the tomatoes into small pieces. Save the roasting juices and set the tomatoes & juices aside.
While the tomatoes are roasting prepare the vegetables. Dice the carrots and zucchini. Dice the potatoes into small bite sized pieces. Clean the leeks, thinly slice.
In a large saucepan, over medium-high heat melt the butter, then saute' the leek, carrots, zucchini and potatoes until lightly browned, about 6-8 minutes.
Add the spices - Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and garlic and saute' for another minute or so.
Add the broth and tomatoes along with any juice. Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil, reduce to a low simmer for about 20 minutes or so until the potatoes are soft.
Serve with parmesan cheese and crusty French bread.
Notes
**Cut the vegetables into small bite sized pieces and a uniform size. This will help the soup cook quickly and the vegetables cook evenly.