Start by preheating your oven to 450°F and prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.

Wrap the unpeeled garlic cloves in foil and arrange them on the baking sheet, alongside the whole tomatoes and onion quarters. Drizzle everything with olive oil, season with a little salt and pepper, and roast for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the tomatoes and onions are beautifully caramelized. Once done, peel the garlic and transfer all the roasted ingredients to a blender.

Next, lower the oven temperature to 400°F and line the baking sheet with a fresh piece of parchment paper.

To the blender with the roasted vegetables, add the canned diced tomatoes, cooked chickpeas, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, thyme leaves, 1 tablespoon olive oil, red pepper flakes, ½ teaspoon sea salt, and a generous grind of black pepper. Blend everything together until you achieve a creamy consistency. If you're using a regular blender, you may need to blend a bit longer to reach the right texture. The soup should still be hot at this point, but if it’s cooled, simply transfer it to a pot and reheat.

To make the croutons, take four slices of the bread and sprinkle each with a thin layer of the vegan mozzarella. Place the remaining bread slices on top to create sandwiches, and drizzle the outsides with olive oil. Bake in the oven until the cheese has melted and the bread is crisp and golden, which should take around 8 minutes. Allow the sandwiches to cool completely before slicing them into croutons, ensuring the cheese stays in place.

Serve the warm tomato soup topped with these crunchy croutons, and garnish with extra fresh thyme, red pepper flakes, and chickpeas if you wish.