This post is dedicated to my friend Annette. I know she reads my blog and she’s probably noticed that this is my second soup post in just a few short weeks. Why would she notice, you ask? Because I’ve always told her that I didn’t like soup.

(Get your gasps of disbelief out of the way now.)

It’s true. For a long time I really didn’t like it. Well, let me rephrase that — I didn’t prefer it. I’d eat soup if it was served to me, but it wasn’t anything I’d go out of my way to order at a restaurant or make at home. In fact, I was always surprised when people would gush about how much they loved it. I guess I just couldn’t get past the bad memories of sick days and unsavory chicken bits (you know what I’m talking about).

So why the change of heart? It could have something to do with this (hot and sour pork belly soup from NEXT)…

…or this (tomato soup with herb oil drizzle from Outerlands in San Francisco)…

…or any of the other amazing soups I enjoyed this year that made me realize how much steaming liquid potential can live inside a bowl. Now I don’t only just like soup, but I actually want to make it. Huge.

So Annette, thank you for always trying to convince me that soup could be (and is) awesome. It finally stuck. This recipe is for you (and Dave — it’s vegan!).

Roasted Heirloom Tomato Soup (Serves 6)

Adapted from The Faux Martha

What you need:

• 2 large heirloom tomatoes, chopped into chunks
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 medium sweet onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 carrots, sliced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 quart vegetable broth
• 1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 3/4 cup uncooked whole grain rice blend
• 1 (15-ounce) can white beans, drained
• 2 bay leaves
• Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup (a large handful) flat leaf parsley, chopped (for garnish)

How you do it:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss chopped heirloom tomatoes with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper. Put on a rimmed baking sheet and roast, turning once or twice, for 40 minutes.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, carrot, celery, paprika, cumin and chili powder and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add roasted tomatoes and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
3. Stir in vegetable broth, crushed tomatoes, whole grain rice blend, white beans and bay leaves. Bring  to a slow boil, then reduce to a simmer and let cook, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes or until rice is cooked through. (Note: the soup will thicken as it cooks.)
4. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top each portion with freshly chopped flat leaf parsley before serving.