Roasted Tomato, Carrot + Pepper Soup with Carrot Greens Pesto

This soup has definitely hit the top of my meal list.  It happened organically, which is always fun for the final product to turn out so amazing the first go-around.  I was playing in my head between a soup or sauce for over pasta.  Obviously, soup won out and thank goodness it did.  There is a lot of depth of flavor going on here from the roasted veggies. It's just pure deliciousness.

Even though the overall cooking time is a lot, the actual time I spent on prep was minimal.  I would not recommend skipping on the roasting part, because I do think that is where most of the flavor is developed.  If you are tight on time, one suggestion would to be roast veggies one day and the next throw it in the crockpot the next.  I also do believe that you could blend the soup in just about 1 hour, instead of 2.  I just have realized that the longer flavors have together, especially in a soup, the better tasting it will be.  Let me know how it turns out for you if you cut back on the cooking time!

This soup can also be veganized by swapping out the chicken for veggie stock.  Of course, the pecorino romano is an optional addition as well.  Now in regards to the pesto, my sister had given me the idea of using the carrot greens in pesto.  I wanted to give it a go and thought it would pair well with this soup.  The pesto is slightly bitter and tangy, while the soup is a tad smokey with some subtle sweetness going on.  The soup is amazing on it's own, so do not stress if you don't want to make the pesto!  I really hope you enjoy this as much as we did at our house.  Most definitely will be a staple this fall and winter for us!

The Ingredients:
2 cups Carrots, thinly sliced
2 cups Cherry tomatoes
2 1/2 cups Peppers, (I did 1 1/2 cup red + 1 cup orange)
2 cups Shallots, roughly chopped
1/4 cup Olive oil + 1 tablespoon
1/2 tablespoon Kosher salt
1 tablespoon Honey
1 teaspoon Garlic (2-3 cloves)
64 oz Chicken Stock
2 heaping tablespoons Fresh thyme
Optional: Pecorino Romano for finishing

The Steps:
1) In a large jelly roll pan, add in the carrots, tomatoes, peppers, and shallots, olive oil and salt. Roast at 375 for about 30 min. Veggies should be tender and will have started to develop some good char to them.

2) In a large stockpot add 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon hone, and 1 teaspoon crushed garlic. Heat over medium heat until it begins to bubble. Then add in 2 cans tomato paste, chicken stock, roasted vegetables, and thyme. Bring to a boil, then simmer (with lid on but tipped to allow some steam to escape) for approximately 2 hrs.

3) Using an immersion blender, blend well until smooth.  Then serve up!

Carrot Greens Pesto
2 cups Carrot greens, stems removed
1/2 cup Packed spinach leaves
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/2 Cup Pecorino Romano cheese, finely shredded
1 tablespoon Lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon Crushed garlic
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon Fresh ground pepper

1) Remove the leaves from the stems.  You don't even need aknife, just strip the leaves off by hand.  If some smaller stems are in there, no biggie.  Add all ingredients then blend until the pesto has formed...dollop over soup.