roasted tomato basil soup

i am so not a tomato soup fan, however, i'm thinking i will make this for dinner one night this week...i love watching the barefoot contessa yet haven't attempted to make one of her recipes as many of them, as yummy as they sound, seem a little too involved to make after work while trying to keep a 2-1/2 year old happy until dinner. but this one sounds easy enough for a weeknight meal (yet could be a "fancy soup" for a luncheon). i will probably serve it with grilled cheese sandwiches...cuz, fancy or not, you can't have tomato soup without a grilled cheese sammie!

3 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half
1/4 cup plus
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 (28-ounce) canned plum tomatoes, with their juice
4 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 quart chicken stock or water

-preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
-toss together the tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, and pepper.
-spread the tomatoes in 1 layer on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes.
-in an 8-quart stockpot over medium heat, saute the onions and garlic with 2 tablespoons
of olive oil, the butter, and red pepper flakes for 10 minutes, until the onions start to brown. -add the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, and chicken stock. add the oven-roasted tomatoes,
including the liquid on the baking sheet.
-bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. pass through a food mill fitted with the
coarsest blade.
-taste for seasonings.
-serve hot or cold.