There's nothing quite as comforting as homemade tomato soup after a hard day's work, and this roasted tomato soup recipe is on another level! The roasted tomatoes with garlic cloves give the soup its rich tomato flavor, and when combined with a touch of sweet vinegar, fragrant basil, and a swirl of cream, it's heavenly!
Contents
🍅 Creamy Tomato Basil Soup
This is not your regular canned tomato soup that you can get in your local grocery store. This recipe is tried and tested to be the best roasted tomato soup you will ever try!
It's got everything you could possibly want in one bowl with a rich and creamy tomato, basil flavor, and just like the green pea soup, it's purified for an irresistible smooth consistency.
The recipe takes over an hour to cook as we let the ingredients infuse and simmer peacefully in a large stove pot.
Tomato basil soup is deliciously sweet with a slight tang coming from the balsamic vinegar and a pleasant creaminess from the sour cream blended with the roasted tomatoes until smooth.
It's what comfort food is all about, and when served alongside grilled cheese sandwiches, it's a match made in heaven!
🍽 What you need
The roasted tomato soup ingredients consist of a few pantry veggies, vegetable stock, and the key ingredient San Marzano tomatoes and tomato paste to enhance the tomato flavor. Equipment-wise, all you need is a large soup pot to make the soup and a roasting pan for the secret preparation step.
Equipment
- Large baking sheet or roasting pan
- Large pot
- Wooden spoon
- Chopping board
- Knife
- Hand blender
Ingredients
- 5-pound canned tomatoes preferably San Marzano
- 1 head garlic coarsely sliced
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 2 large onions sliced into thin rings
- 3 medium carrots peeled and roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 ½ cups sour cream
- 20 fresh basil leaves torn
Substitutions
Tomatoes
You can use fresh tomatoes if you can't find San Marzano tomatoes for this recipe, but I don't recommend using cherry tomatoes, as you need to roast them in the oven with garlic inside.
Cream
heavy cream or coconut cream works well in this recipe. Although, using coconut flavored cream will add a slight tropical feel to the soup. But still tasty nevertheless.
Spices
I like to add a touch of spice to my soups with half a teaspoon of red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, or a chopped chili.
🔪 How to make
Roasted tomato soup is easy to make! Learn how to make this stunningly delicious soup with my easy-to-follow instructions in just over an hour that will feed a big family.
The roasting method to create the outrageous tomato flavor is straightforward, and the combination of the other ingredients is put together in a stove pot. Simple but effective!
Prepare Ingredients
Step 1
Slice the onions into thin circles on the chopping board along with the carrots coarsely chopped, and set them aside.
Step 2
Make slices out of the garlic cloves for roasting inside the tomatoes.
Step 3
Grab the fresh basil leaves and tear them up into strips with your hands or coarsely chop them.
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius).
Step 2
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and grease lightly.
Step 3
Drain the tomatoes, reserving the juice for later.
Step 4
Take each tomato and gently push about 2 or 3 slices of garlic in it, then arrange them apart on the foil drizzled with a little olive oil along with a sprinkle of dried basil, salt, and pepper.
Step 5
Roast in the top third of your oven for about 30 - 35 minutes, until beginning to char but not drying out completely.
Step 6
While the tomatoes are roasting, heat the oil and butter in a large soup pot over medium heat with the onions and carrot, adding a generous amount of salt and pepper. Sauté for about 5 or 6 minutes until the onion rings begin to lose their shape.
Step 7
Add the reserved tomato liquid, tomato paste, vinegar, sugar, and stock. Stirring occasionally until it starts to boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer.
Step 8
Take the roasted tomatoes from the oven and add them to the pot with their juices. Continue to simmer for about 30 minutes to an hour.
Step 9
Remove the soup from heat, let it cool for about 10 minutes, then whisk a few tablespoons of the hot soup into the sour cream to warm it. Then pour creamy tomato mixture into the soup with the fresh basil and blend until smooth.
Step 10
Serve with a crusty baguette and garnish with a little sour cream on top with a few basil leaves.
Cooking Tips
The acidity in tomatoes can make the soup a bit bitter, but you counteract this with 2 spoons of sugar. Feel free to add another spoon if needed.
Make sure not to put the soup back on to the heat after adding the sour cream, or else it will curdle as it comes to a boil.
🥗 What to serve with
Roasted tomato soup pairs well with salads, fries, or sandwiches.
Sandwiches
Serving a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup is a common thing. I also like to add a bit of bacon with my cheese sandwiches to make a BLT and sometimes some spice with chipotle chile.
Fries
Perfect for dipping in soups and especially this rich tomato-flavored one! Make it healthy fries with my delicious avocado fries that are crispy and super easy to prepare.
Salad
An earthy arugula salad with olive oil, chopped walnuts, and parmesan cheese shavings is one of my go-to fresh salads to accompany soup recipes.
🙋 Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to peel tomatoes for tomato soup?
Yes, If you are using fresh garden tomatoes or from the grocery store. Tomatoes from the can are already peeled and just need to be roasted.
Why roast tomatoes for soup?
Roasting tomatoes adds layers of flavor and richness to the soup, whereas ordinary tomato canned soup tastes completely different and nowhere near as delicious.
What is the difference between San Marzano and Roma tomatoes?
San Marzano tomatoes are similar to plum tomatoes. They contain fewer seeds compared to Roma tomatoes while also having lower acidity levels and being stronger sweeter, and break down well when cooked.
🍳 Related Soup Recipes
🧊 Storing and ♨️ Reheating
This tomato basil soup recipe is one of my favorite soups for eating over 3 or 4 days for lunch, making it perfect for storing.
In the Fridge
Allow the soup to cool completely, transfer any leftovers to an airtight container, and place it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
In the Freezer
Use freezer bags or an airtight container to store the tomato soup in the freezer for up to 4 months.
How to Reheat
Pour the leftover soup into a pot over medium heat and bring it to a boil before serving.
👪 Serving Size
This roasted tomato soup recipe will provide 10 generous servings, which are easy enough to last for a few days unless you have a big family like me. In that case, you may want to scale the recipe to fit the number of people.
I usually say that my soups are easy and delicious to make, but with this divine roasted tomato soup, I MEAN IT! Let me know what you think in the comments.
If you are looking for toppings, I recommend you to check my collection of soup topping ideas, what to add to your soup to take it to another level of yumminess!
📋 Recipe
Roasted Tomato Soup
Ingredients
- 5 pound tomatoes - If possible San Marzano Canned
- 1 head garlic - coarsely sliced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 large onions - sliced into thin rings onion
- 3 medium carrots - peeled and roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 1 ½ cups sour cream
- 20 basil leaves - torn
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degree Fahrenheit (200 degree Celsius).
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and grease lightly.
- Drain the tomatoes, reserving the juice for later.
- Take each tomato and gently push about 2 or 3 slices of garlic in it, then arrange on the foil and drizzle with a little olive oil, generously salt and pepper and sprinkle with dried basil.
- Roast in the top third of your oven for about 30 - 35 minutes, until beginning to char, but not drying out completely.
- While the tomatoes are roasting, heat the oil and butter in a large soup pot, add the onion and carrot, a generous amount of salt and pepper, and saute over medium heat until the onion begins to lose it's shape, about 5 or 6 minutes.
- Add the reserved tomato liquid, tomato paste, the balsamic vinegar, sugar, and stock, then increase the heat a bit and bring the soup to a low simmer.
- When they are ready, add the tomatoes with their juices and continue to simmer the soup for about 30 minutes to an hour.
- Remove the soup from heat, let cool for about 10 minutes, then whisk a few tablespoons of the hot soup into the sour cream to warm it, then add it and the basil to the soup and pulse-blending until smooth.
- Serve with a crusty baguette and garnish with a little sour cream and a basil leaf or two.
Notes
- The acidity in tomatoes can make the soup a bit bitter, but you counteract this with 2 spoons of sugar. Feel free to add another spoon if needed.
- Make sure not to put the soup back on to the heat after adding the sour cream, or else it will curdle as it comes to a boil.
Jayne
I have never really eaten tomato soup before because it looked really sour and maybe tasted yuck but from looking at this recipe I think I might give it a shot and see what i come up with .It looks yummy .
Anonymous
Do you have any idea how many fresh tomatoes this would take?
David Eisendrath
may i recommend making some grilled cheese sandwiches, cutting them into crouton sized pieces, and serving with this. 🙂 you're welcome.