Creamy Roasted Tomato Balsamic Soup

This soup was amazing, fun, unique, loved, and a definite do it again! Thank you Tracey's Culinary adventures for another stellar recipe, pictured below with Smitten Kitchen's Cauliflower fritters. 

Tracey's recipe can be found HERE, but it originated from Cooking Light.

Creamy Roasted Tomato-Balsamic Soup
from Cooking Light, October 2005

1 cup low-sodium beef broth, divided
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
5 garlic cloves, peeled
2 (28-oz) cans whole tomatoes, drained
3/4 cup half-and-half
heavy cream, basil and freshly ground black pepper (optional garnishes)

Preheat oven to 500 F. Spray a 13x9 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray (I used a metal pan since I wasn't sure if Pyrex or other glass containers were safe to use at such high temperatures.)

In a measuring cup, whisk together 1/2 cup of the beef broth, the brown sugar, vinegar and soy sauce. Add the onion, garlic and tomatoes to the prepared pan then pour the broth mixture over them. Roast for 45-50 minutes, or until the vegetables are lightly browned (the liquid will have reduced and should be thickened).

Transfer the mixture in the pan to a blender or food processor. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of beef broth and the half-and-half. Process until smooth. At this point, you can go in one of two directions - eat the soup as is, or strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove the solids so the soup will have a smoother consistency. I strained it but it's up to you :) Garnish with a drizzle of cream, chopped basil and freshly ground black pepper, if desired.