Roasted Tomato Soup

This Roasted Tomato Soup is easy to make and absolutely bursting with flavour. Perfect with a grilled cheese!

If you’re after a simple, yet absolutely delicious soup to serve with a sandwich this is it right here. Follow me…

Tomato Soup

Tomato soup really is a ‘salt of the earth’ kind of recipe. So versatile and perfect for so many occasions. There’s a million and one ways to make tomato soup, but here today I’ll show you what I deem to be the best way!

Roasted Tomatoes

The number one thing you can do to enhance a tomato soup is to roast the tomatoes. By roasting the tomatoes you intensify the flavour and remove the bitterness/sourness. They not only lightly char, which offers a gentle smoky flavour, but they also caramelize and turn slightly sweet.

How to Roast Tomatoes

Roasting tomatoes is exactly what it says on the tin. I recommend slicing in half and placing them flesh side down so the juices caramelize. I also recommend chucking in some fresh thyme and garlic, just for an extra punch of flavour. Heavy seasoning and a good swig of olive oil is also a must.

What Tomatoes to use?

I usually go for vine-ripened tomatoes, but plum tomatoes also work nicely. In all cases just go for some good quality fresh tomatoes as they make up the bulk of the soup.

How to make Tomato Soup

Caramelized Onions

To start off you’ll want to fry some onion low and slow until nicely caramelized. Really take the time to tickle out the natural sugars from the onions until nice and golden. The flavour difference between quickly and slowly fried onions is quite significant!

Tomato Puree (Tomato Paste in US)

This will not only deepen the tomato flavour, but will also give the soup a pop of colour. It’s important to fry the puree for a couple of minutes, just to take out the bitterness.

Fresh Basil

Absolutely essential! Really livens up the flavours. And who doesn’t love tomato and basil?!

Process Shots: melt butter (photo 1), fry onion (photo 2), fry tomato puree and deglaze with balsamic vinegar (photo 3), add tomatoes/roasted garlic (photo 4), add stock and basil (photo 5), pop in lid and simmer (photo 6).

How long to simmer for?

Honestly the longer the better. A minimum of 30mins, but I have simmer for 3 hours before in the past! Important to keep the lid on so it doesn’t reduce too much.

How to store tomato soup?

Allow to completely cool and tightly seal in the fridge or freezer.

How to reheat tomato soup?

Pulse in short stints in the microwave, stirring in between, or over low heat on the stove.

Serving Tomato Soup

Tomato soup always welcomes a nice garnish. I usually drizzle over some good quality extra virgin olive oil. Cream or balsamic glaze also work, so does a dollop of pesto. Tomato soup also welcomes a grilled cheese very nicely too, here I’ve gone for a pesto grilled cheese!

And there we have it! All my top tips for a delicious homemade tomato soup. Let’s tuck into the full recipe shall we?!

How to make Roasted Tomato Soup (Full Recipe & Video)

Roasted Tomato Soup

This Roasted Tomato Soup is easy to make and absolutely bursting with flavour. Perfect with a grilled cheese!

5 from 5 votes

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Course: lunch, Side Dish

Cuisine: Western

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings (click & slide): 5

Calories per serving: 116kcal

Author: Chris

Cost per serving: £2 / $2.50

Equipment

• Large Baking Tray
• Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
• Large Pot with Lid
• Wooden Spoon
• Hand Blender
• Ladle (to serve)

Ingredients

• 2lb / 1kg Fresh Tomatoes (see notes)
• 1 cup / 250ml Chicken Stock, or more to preference (can sub veg stock)
• 1 medium White Onion, roughly diced
• 3-4 cloves of Garlic, left whole in skins
• 1 big handful of Fresh Basil Leaves
• 1 tbsp Butter (can sub olive oil)
• 1 tbsp Tomato Puree (tomato paste in US)
• 1/2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
• few spring of Fresh Thyme
• generous amounts of Salt & Black Pepper, to taste
• Olive Oil, as needed

Instructions

• Slice tomatoes in half and place them flesh side up on a baking tray. Generously season with salt and pepper and give them a good drizzle of olive oil. Flip them over then nestle in your fresh thyme and garlic cloves. Pop in the oven at 200C/390F for 25-30mins, or until they begin to wilt and lightly char. Squeeze garlic from skins and remove thyme stalks.
• Meanwhile, add 1 tbsp butter (or olive oil) so a large pot over medium heat and add onion. Fry until it just begins to catch colour, then turn heat to low and gently continue frying until caramelized. Use this time wisely to cook the onions low and slow to brings out their natural sweetness.
• Add in 1 tbsp tomato puree and fry for 1-2mins, then deglaze with 1/2tbsp balsamic vinegar. Pour in your tomatoes & garlic (including all the juices), then add in 1 cup stock and a big handful of basil leaves. Pop the lid on and simmer for a good 30mins, or as long as you have time for (longer the better, just keep the lid on or it'll reduce too much).
• Remove lid and blitz with a hand blender. Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly (a good pinch of salt and pepper will bring out the flavours). If you want the soup thinner just gradually stir in more stock, if you go slightly overboard just simmer the sauce with the lid off until it thickens. See notes for serving/storage!

Quick Demo

Notes

a) Tomatoes - I usually go for vine-ripened tomatoes, but plum tomatoes also work great. In all cases just make sure they're as fresh as possible!

b) Can I sub dried herbs? - Fresh herbs definitely work best here, I find they infuse into the soup more efficiently. Fresh thyme is a must, but at a push you can sub dried basil, I recommend 1/2-1 tbsp.

c) How to serve tomato soup? - To garnish I usually drizzle some good quality extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle a few small thyme leaves. A drizzle of cream or balsamic glaze also works nicely, as does basil pesto. This soup goes hand in hand with a grilled cheese, pesto grilled cheese is my fave!

d) How to store tomato soup? - Allow to completely cool then tightly cover in the fridge (3-4days, longer at your discretion) or freezer for a month. Reheat in short pulses in the microwave stirring in between or on the stove over a low heat.

e) calories - based on using 1.5tbsp olive oil to roast tomatoes. No extra garnish and shared between 5:

Nutrition Facts

Roasted Tomato Soup

Amount Per Serving

Calories 116 Calories from Fat 59

% Daily Value*

Fat 6.61g10%

Saturated Fat 1.741g11%

Trans Fat 0.002g

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.769g

Monounsaturated Fat 3.752g

Cholesterol 4mg1%

Sodium 93mg4%

Potassium 554mg16%

Carbohydrates 12.22g4%

Fiber 2.8g12%

Sugar 6.89g8%

Protein 3.49g7%

Vitamin A 1838IU37%

Vitamin C 28.7mg35%

Calcium 40mg4%

Iron 0.97mg5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

*Nutrition is based on the absence of salt unless stated as a measurement in the ingredients. Cost is worked out based on ingredients bought from UK supermarkets, then divided by the number of servings. In both instances these values are just for guidance. Please check out my FAQ Page for more info.

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