Tomato and roasted garlic soup

1 head garlic
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
salt and pepper
1 C chopped onion
1 C chopped celery
8 C stewed tomatoes, including juice
1 bay leaf
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried basil
1 C water
1 tsp dried thyme

Preheat oven to 400 F. Remove loose, papery skins from garlic, leaving head intact. do not remove all of the skin. Cut half an inch off the top of the garlic. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake on center rack for 40 mins until garlic has softened. Remove from oven. Place on plate to cool. Once garlic has cooled, squeeze roasted garlic into a small bowl. The paste will be added to the soup.

In large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat 1/2 tsp olive oil. Add onion and celery and cook until softened, about 5 mins. Stir in tomatoes and juice, 1 C water and all seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, add roasted garlic paste and simmer for 30 mins. Puree with hand blender until mostly smooth.

Number of Servings: 12

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user FRAN2008.