Baked Feta Soup
Ingredients
2 Pints grape tomatoes, or cherry tomatoes
8 Ounces feta cheese, plus some crumbles to serve
½ Cup yellow onion, cut into large pieces
½ Teaspoon salt
1 Head garlic, medium
6 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
28 Ounces crushed tomatoes, canned
3 Cups chicken broth, low-sodium
1 Sprig fresh thyme, or ¼ Teaspoon dried thyme
¼ Cup fresh basil, roughly torn
½ Teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
2 Handfuls bread, baguette, cubed or torn into pieces
Fresh ground black pepper, to serve
Directions
Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Place the tomatoes in a pan and put the feta in the middle of the pan. Sprinkle on the onions and drizzle with olive oil and add some salt and pepper flakes.
Cut the top end of the garlic off. Place the garlic in a piece of tinfoil and drizzle with a little oil. Close tightly and place in the oven.
Place the pan in the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the tomatoes have burst and the cheese is lightly browned.
Remove the pan from the oven and spoon all the ingredients into a blender. Open the garlic and squeeze out the roasted garlic.
Add the crushed tomatoes to the blender and blend until smooth.
Pour into a pan and stir in the broth. Add the thyme and half the basil and simmer for 15 to 30 minutes.
While the soup is simmering, place the torn baguette pieces on a pan and drizzle with olive oil and bake for 5 to 10 minutes until toasted.
Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and top with baguette croutons, fresh basil and freshly ground black pepper. You can also crumble some feta cheese on top.
