Roast Tomato and Garlic Soup with Grilled Cheese Top

Ingredients

2-3 lbs of small cherry tomatoes
2-3 heads of garlic
1 tsp dried thyme leaves
3 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock
3-4 tbsp olive or avocado oil
Salt & pepper
Sliced bread (any type - gluten free works too if needed)
Grated cheddar cheese

Instructions

Use foil to line a couple of oven tray (such as baking sheet with a small edge). Wash and dry the tomatoes, then fill the trays with them. If you can't find very small cherry tomatoes you may want to cut them in half first; the smaller and tastier the tomatoes, the better.

Drizzle with the oil, then sprinkle all over with salt and pepper. Place in a 350F oven.Wrap the whole heads of garlic in foil, and place on a separate shelf in the oven also.

Bake until the tomatoes are wrinkled and starting to brown slightly. Exact time will depend on the size of the tomatoes but probably 30 minutes or more.

Once the tomatoes are roasted, take them out and pour into a saucepan along with any extra juices in the pan. Unwrap the garlic from the foil and let it cool enough to touch, then peel the cloves. Cloves should be soft and mushy at this point. Drop them in with the tomatoes, then pulse briefly with a blender enough to blend the tomatoes and garlic together.

Add the vegetable stock and the thyme, then simmer for about 20-30 minutes. Add any extra salt or pepper if needed.

Preheat the oven (ideally broiler) to 375F. Transfer soup into small bowls. Toast a slice of bread per bowl, then place it on top of the soup in each bowl. Pile grated cheese on top, then put the bowls on a baking tray and put the tray into the oven, under the broil elements if possible. Leave in oven until the cheese is melted and starting to bubble (watch carefully to make sure they don't burn). Then take out and serve.