Ingredients

• 3-4 lbs tomatoes
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 white onion, diced
• 1 head garlic
• 3-4 slices of bacon
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 fresh basil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cracked black pepper
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 tbsp olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. We used a combination of Roma tomatoes and large on the vine, red tomatoes. Halve the Roma tomatoes and quarter the larger ones. Place on a lined baking sheet and drizzle olive oil on the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Also chop the top portion of the head of garlic to expose the cloves and coat with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast tomatoes and garlic for an hour.
2. When there is about 20 minutes left on the roasting, slice your bacon strips into 1/2 inch pieces. In a dutch oven or large pot, brown the bacon. Once browned, remove bacon from the pan and set aside. Keep the drippings in the pan and use that to sauté the onion. Sauté for about 5-7 minutes or until the onions are soft and slightly golden. Deglaze the pan with balsamic vinegar.
3. At this point, the tomatoes and garlic should be done roasting. Squeeze the garlic cloves into the pan with the onions. Add oregano, thyme and broth. Bring this to a boil. Then add basil and the roasted tomatoes. Drop heat and simmer for 10-15 mins.
4. Using an immersion blender,  blend the soup in the pot until smooth.
5. Turn off heat and stir in heavy cream.
6. Serve with the crispy bacon and a drizzle of olive oil on top. We topped our with some garlic bread cheese and paired it with a grilled cheese sandwich. Enjoy!