Roasted Tomato & Basil Soup (Fresh Tomatoes)
There is almost nothing better than the first spoonful of a good soup. Not only is this summertime, roasted tomato and basil soup, is bursting with acid and umami, its simplicity makes it an instant go to for years to come.
Get the Recipe: Roasted Tomato & Basil Soup
Ingredients
- 16 roma or campari tomatoes
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 2 medium onions
- ¼ cups olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon marmite
- 2 teaspoons white miso paste
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- ½ tablespoon fresh oregano leaves
- 4 cloves roasted garlic
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1½ cups chicken stock
- 1 1.5×2.5in piece of parmesan rind
Equipment
- 1 chef knife
- 1 cutting board
- 1 blender (immersion or stand)
- 1 enameled dutch oven
- 1 13x18in (33×44.4cm) baking sheet
- 1 silicone baking sheet or aluminum foil
- measuring Cups
- Measuring spoons
Instructions
- First, preheat your oven to 425 F (218 C).
- While the oven is preheating, chop up your tomatoes and onions. Cherry tomatoes can be halved, the larger tomatoes quartered, and onions cut in half and then quartered. Transfer the chopped vegetables to a 3x18in (33×45.5cm) baking tray (bonus points if you use a silpat to keep everything from sticking to the pan). Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper then give them a toss to coat.
- For the 4 cloves of roasted garlic, cut the top off a garlic bulb so the tops of each clove have been sliced off. Then place the bulb onto the middle of a piece of aluminum foil, drizzle about 1tbsp (15ml) of olive oil over the top, and wrap up the whole thing so it won't leak. Set the foil packet on the pan with the tomatoes and onions. Place everything in the oven to bake for 40 minutes.
- While the tomatoes, onions, and garlic are cooking, put all of the other ingredients, EXCEPT for the parmesan, into a blender and set aside.
- After 40 minutes, take the baking tray out of the oven and scoop the cooked veggies and squeeze out the needed roasted cloves into the blender with everything else. Blend until smooth. You may need to do two batches depending on the size of your blender.
- Pour the blended soup into a pot and place it on the stove. Turn the heat to medium-low and add in the parmesan rind. Let the soup simmer for 30-60 minutes, to cook down the herbs and really marry all of the flavors.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and top with croutons, basil oil, and/or cream.
Notes
- You can easily make this dairy free, by not including the parmesan rind during the simmering process or topping it with cream. It’s just as delicious!
- Store the soup in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for 3 months.
- If you ever find that your tomato soup or even a stew or sauce is too acidic, add a pinch of baking soda to the cooking food to neutralize some the acidity. Just a pinch at a time though, a little goes a long way.
- If you want some additional sweetness, consider adding 1/2-1 medium carrot to the roasting pan with the tomatoes. Or, you can add 1 tsp (5ml) of granulated or light brown sugar to the soup during simmering.
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
I like to batch roast between 5-10 heads of garlic at a time so there is always roasted garlic on hand. After they are all done, squeeze the roasted cloves out and mash them in a bowl. After mashing, transfer them to 1 tsp (5ml) semi-circle silicone candy molds. Each molded piece of garlic mash is roughly 2 cloves of garlic. Frozen garlic pieces will keep in the freezer for 6 months.
No, you can use fresh cloves of garlic if you really want to. Just note, there will be a flavor difference in the soup. Fresh garlic will make this soup more sharp, peppery, and bitter than roasted garlic. Since you are roasting the tomatoes anyway, adding in the garlic seems like an easy call.
To make croutons, cut any bread to a desired size and lightly coat with olive oil. Place a cooling rack onto a lined baking tray and then add the bread to the rack. Bake the bread pieces at 350°F (177°C) degrees until they crisp all the way through. 1/2in (1.3cm) pieces should take about 20 minutes.
My prefered bread is actually sourdough for tomato basil soup. It adds a nice tangy zing to each spoonful. You can also use a rustic italian loaf, focaccia, or a french baguette. These have enough structure that they would hold up well to the soup.
Wanna make some basil oil? Pour 1/4c (48ml) of a neutral oil (canola, grapeseed, or vegetable) into the container of your blender and place it into the freezer for 30-60 minutes. After chilling, add 1 cup of basil (7.5g) and 1/2tsp (1.2g) kosher salt. Blend on high for 3 minutes. You won’t use all of the oil, so I suggest freezing ice cube sized servings with the basil pulp still in it. You can also let the oil settle for an hour and then filter the pulp out with a coffee filter. Filtered oil will be good for a month in the fridge. Use the oil on sandwiches, omelets, salads, and over burrata.
