Savour tomato season with this delectable Roasted Tomato Soup. You simply toss everything on a sheet pan to lightly char and caramelize, then blitz to make a rich and creamy soup full of complex flavours.
Tomato season is always over in flash so I try to make the most of them while they’re here. Currently, I have been making this roasted tomato soup on repeat which tastes as plush and silky as a cream of tomato soup without any cream added.
A whole head of garlic and wedges of onions roast and caramelize alongside fresh plum tomatoes. Cherry tomatoes, if you have them, add a touch more sweetness. Blend it all up with heaps of fresh basil and top with crunchy parmesan toasts. Rich and cozy, the balance of flavours in this soup will have you going back for seconds, quite possibly thirds.
Serve with a big green salad and you will have the most wonderfuI late summer meal.
Ingredients And Notes
Without the parmesan toasts, this soup is gluten-free, vegan, and wonderfully nutritious too. Here’s the simple ingredients you will need to make it:
- Fresh tomatoes: This soup has the most delicious clean, bright flavours thanks to fresh, in-season tomatoes. The riper the tomato, the sweeter and more flavourful your soup will be. You will need about 3 pounds of tomatoes for this recipe but a little less will also work.
- Garlic: This tomato soup calls for a lot of tomatoes so we need a lot of garlic to keep it super flavourful. Keep in mind roasted garlic is much more mellow than raw. If you don’t love things too garlicky, reduce the amount to taste.
- Onions: Roasted onions bring sweetness and flavour to this tomato soup. White, yellow, or red will work but avoid vidalias or other sweet onions which make the soup overly sweet.
- Balsamic vinegar: Not essential but a drizzle of balsamic vinegar adds a welcome touch of tangy sweetness.
- Thyme sprigs: This is optional but a few sprigs of thyme add some herby flavour and fragrance to the roasted vegetables.
- Fresh basil leaves: Fresh basil adds wonderful classic flavours to tomato soup. Here it is added only when the soup is getting blended so it retains the most flavour.
- Vegetable broth: You will need about 1 cup of broth to thin out the soup just a bit. You can also use chicken broth, if you wish. In a pinch water will work but it might dull the flavours so only use half the amount.
- Salt and pepper: Tomatoes like salt. I can go overboard when salting tomatoes and they never taste too salty. If you taste the soup and you are a bit under-whelmed, it is probably under-salted. With pepper, however, start with just a pinch and add more only if needed.
- Parmesan toast: You can serve the soup with crusty bread but take it a step further with crunchy parmesan toast and you’ll be in heaven. Make sure you get the toasts as crisp as crackers so that they don’t instantly turn to mush when floating on the soup.
How To Make Roasted Tomato Soup
The beauty of this recipe is that everything roasts on one pan. And if you have a high-speed blender you likely won’t even have to reheat the soup (high-speed blenders add heat as they blend).
You can also use a food processor but in this case I would transfer to a pot and reheat before serving.
- Preheat oven to 400ºF.
- Prepare the tomatoes, garlic, and onions. Halve the tomatoes and place them cut-side up on a large parchment-lined baking sheet. Cut the whole head of garlic in half, quarter the onion, and nestle them in with the tomatoes. Drizzle everything with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Roast the vegetables. Roast the tomatoes, garlic, and onion until soft and slightly charred, about 30-40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
- Make parmesan toasts. Place baguette slices on a separate baking tray and drizzle with a little oil. Sprinkle on a few teaspoons of parmesan on each slice and bake until the cheese is melted and the bread is golden and toasted, about 10-12 minutes.
- Blend. Squeeze the roasted garlic into a blender or food processor and discard the outer layer. Add the tomatoes, onions, broth and all the juices that accumulated in the pan. Blend until smooth. Add the basil leaves and blend again for a few seconds. Alternatively, you can add the mixture to a large pot and use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning adding more salt and pepper, if necessary. Heat soup in a large pot before serving, if needed.
- Ladle onto shallow bowls and top with parmesan toasts.
FAQ’s
What tomatoes are best for roasted tomato soup?
Roma tomatoes or plum tomatoes are best for roasting because they have great flavour, contain less seeds and are less watery. When they are in-season, markets and grocery stores will be overflowing with this variety so you shouldn’t have any trouble finding them. If you have other good meaty tomatoes growing in your garden (Beefsteak, Campari, Heirloom etc.), by all means go ahead and use those.
Not essential but if you have some cherry tomatoes laying around, throw them on the pan as well. Their super sweet juices contribute a lot of flavour.
Why Roast Tomatoes?
Roasting is a very easy, hands-off way to sweeten and intensify the flavour of tomatoes. Even winter tomatoes will taste infinitely better if roasted.
Do I need to peel the tomatoes?
This tomato soup is blended or pureed so you do not have to peel or seed the tomatoes.
Variations
This roasted tomato soup is endlessly adaptable. Here’s a few suggestions for tweaking it:
- Make it creamy by adding heavy cream or coconut milk.
- Sprinkle with smoked paprika or chipotle powder for some smoky flavour.
- Make it spicy with some cayenne, harissa, or red pepper flakes.
- Top with this delicious basil vinaigrette.
- Stir in couscous or other cooked grains.
What To Serve With Roasted Tomato Soup
A classic side of melty grilled cheese sandwiches cannot be beat. Here are a few more ideas for sides that we enjoy:
- Scrambled eggs on toast topped with avocado slices.
- Cornbread
- Italian Pasta salad
- Italian Salad
- Frittata
- Chickpea salad sandwich
Storage Suggestions
- To store: Any leftover roasted tomato soup can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop until warmed through.
- To freeze: Place soup in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to use, thaw in the fridge overnight, then reheat gently on the stovetop until warmed through.
More Fabulous Soups To Try
- Creamy Zucchini Tomato Soup
- Curried Red Lentil Soup
- Butternut Squash Soup
- Italian Wedding Soup
- Easy Pantry Tomato Soup
Ingredients
- 3 pounds Roma tomatoes halved
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes optional
- 1 medium red or yellow onion quartered
- 1 head of garlic halved
- 1/4 cup olive oil plus more for drizzling
- 1 tablespoon balsamic
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper
- 6 thyme sprigs optional
- 1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
- 2 handfuls of basil leaves about 12 larger leaves plus more for garnish
Parmesan toasts
- 1 baguette of your choice thinly sliced on the diagonal into 1/4-inch slices
- olive oil
- grated parmesan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF.
- Place the tomatoes cut-side up on a large parchment-lined baking sheet. Nestle in the cherry tomatoes (if using), garlic halves and onion around the tomatoes. Drizzle everything with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
- Roast the tomatoes, garlic, and onion until soft and slightly charred, about 35-45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Leave oven on if making parmesan toasts.
- Place baguette slices on a separate baking tray and drizzle with a little oil. Sprinkle on a few teaspoons of parmesan on each slice and bake until the cheese is melted and the bread is golden and toasted, about 10-12 minutes.
- Meanwhile, squeeze the roasted garlic into a blender or food processor and discard the outer layer. Add the tomatoes, onions, broth and all the juices that accumulated in the pan. Blend until smooth. Add the basil leaves and blend again for a few seconds. Alternatively, you can add the mixture to a large pot and use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning adding more salt and pepper, if necessary.
- Heat soup in a large pot before serving, if needed. Ladle onto shallow bowls, drizzle with some olive oil and top with parmesan toasts.
Notes
- To store: Any leftover roasted tomato soup can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop until warmed through.
- To freeze: Place soup in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to use, thaw in the fridge overnight, then reheat gently on the stovetop until warmed through.
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