Roasting the Veggies

1. Preheat oven to 450.
2. Chop the Roma tomatoes, onions, and garlic.
3. Toss them with 1/3 cup olive oil on a baking sheet or dish. Season with dried oregano, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to your preference.
4. Roast at 450 for 15-20 minutes, or until tender.  Toss them about halfway through cooking.

Making the Soup

1. Begin to warm the broth over medium low in a large stock pot.
2. There are two ways to finish the veggie prep.  The easiest is to add the roasted tomatoes, onion, and garlic after slightly cooled, to a stock pot as the broth is heating to a boil. Simmer the veggies in the broth for 5 minutes.  Then, use a handheld blender to purée the soup in the pot.
3. If you do not have a hand held blender, you can purée the veggies in a Cuisinart or other food processor and then add them to the warming broth, and then bring to a boil and then simmer for 5 minutes.
4. If using pasta, cook it according to package directions in a separate pot while soup simmers.
5. If using optional ingredients, you can add fresh spinach and the pasta to the simmering soup.  The soup is ready when the spinach has wilted and the soup is thoroughly heated through.
6. Finally, ladle into bowls, and garnish with parmesan cheese and fresh basil.