Alexa Whats for Dinner

For the garlic confit: Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. In an oven safe baking dish, add in garlic cloves, olive oil, and thyme. You want the cloves to be fully submerged in oil. Cover and bake in oven until the garlic is golden and tender, about 2 hours. To store, cool down the garlic confit as quickly as possible and put it in an air tight jar in the fridge for up to a week.

For the rest of the soup: Make the roasted tomatoes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spread halved tomatoes out on a large, parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake for about 30 minutes, until tomatoes are tender.

While those cook, caramelize onions. Melt butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add onions and gently cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are deep brown and soft. Be careful not to burn them! This should take about 30 minutes.

In a large soup pot over medium heat, add in 2 cups chicken stock, plus the caramelized onions, roasted tomatoes, and about 1 cup of the garlic confit. Stir to combine. Place in a Parmesan rind, plus thyme, bay leaves, and basil. Taste for seasoning, and add more salt and pepper as needed. Add crushed red pepper flakes if you like. Remove the cheese rind, bay leaf, & thyme stems from the soup.

Allow the soup to cool a bit, then using a blender or immersion blender, mix it until smooth. When ready to serve, heat it up over the stove. Enjoy!