This roast tomato soup recipe is a blast of sunshine to raise your spirits on the greyest of days. Light, bright and full of Mediterranean flavour from the roasted tomatoes, this soup is also naturally gluten free and even suitable for vegans.
Roasted tomato soup recipe
Who doesn’t love tomato soup? Rich and comforting and full of sunshine flavour, it’s a blast of cheering warmth on a grey day.
Roasting the tomatoes gives an intense, concentrated flavour, so you don’t miss the cream in this Mediterranean style version. It’s filling but fairly light on the calories and bursting with good nutrition.
This recipe is great for using up a glut of tomatoes. It doesn’t matter if they have gone a bit too soft for salads. All that wonderful ripe flavour is just perfect for soup.
I really think this is the ideal lunchtime dish, as it is satisfying without leaving you in need of a nap. If you take a packed lunch to work, a flask of soup will have you well fed and content at very little cost, without compromising on your healthy diet.
Why make roast tomato soup
- Perfect for using tomatoes that are not quite ripe or past their prime.
- Use up a glut of home grown tomatoes. A mix of varieties is great.
- There’s two of your five-a-day in every portion.
- Bright red vegetables like tomatoes are full of healthy antioxidants and other nutrients.
- This easy roasted tomato soup recipe is so easy, as well as generally hands-off.
- It is ideal for batch cooking and freezes well. Double or triple the recipe with very little extra work.
- This roast tomato soup recipe can easily be adapted to make an irresistible roast tomato pasta sauce!
Roasted tomato soup ingredients
- Tomatoes – Any tomatoes with a good flavour, big or small. It doesn’t matter if they are a bit past their best and looking a bit tired, or even if are not quite ripe.
- Onions & Garlic – Red or white onions, shallots, or even a leek or stick of celery. Use what you have.
- Herbs – I’ve used a sprig of thyme, but oregano works too. If you don’t have fresh herbs, a pinch of a Mediterranean/Provençale mix would be ideal. Tarragon or basil would add summery touch of anise.
- Olive Oil – Good quality extra virgin olive oil for flavour
- Stock/Broth – Use your favourite.
- Lemon (not shown) – Add a squeeze of juice at the end. Lemon (or a drop of apple cider vinegar) will work as a flavour enhancer in much the same way that salt does. In fact, if you are trying to cut down on salt, this is a vital trick. It lightens and brightens the dish and gives everything a lift. Try it!
- Butter (optional, not shown) – For a creamier soup, you can whizz in a little butter at the end.
How to make roast tomato soup – step by step
Before you start, read my step-by-step instructions, with photos, hints and tips, so you can make this perfectly every time.
Step One – First prepare the tomatoes and onions, ready to be roasted. These can be nice and chunky as we are going to blitz the soup – no need for fine chopping here!
- Slice the onions in half, then “top and tail” to remove the stalk and root. Then peel off the papery skin. Chop each half into wedges.
- Cut the tomatoes in half or quarters depending how big they are, removing any stalks.
- Peel the garlic, and chop any large cloves in half.
Step Two – Spread the onion, tomatoes, and garlic out in a large roasting pan. Add a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper and herbs. Then drizzle the oil over. Give it all a good shake to break the onion slices apart and coat everything in the olive oil.
Helen’s Fuss Free Tip
Use big roasting pan so you can spread everything out in a single layer.
If you pile the veg up, then they steam rather than roast, and it doesn’t give you that concentrated flavour. If you don’t have a big enough pan, use two.
Step Three – Put the pan in the oven and roast the vegetables at GM 6 / 400°F / 180°C (fan) for 35 minutes, until soft and starting to brown. They will reduce in bulk by a third to a half as they lose water.
Why roast tomatoes?
All vegetables contain a lot of water and to get the most flavour out of them, it helps to remove some of that water. It’s something we’ve all encountered in the highly concentrated flavour of sundried or sunblush tomatoes.
Roasting your vegetables intensifies the flavours. The edges begin to caramelise, resulting in a sweeter, richer taste that is retained even when you add back liquid to make soup.
You could fry the vegetables instead, but I find that roasting works better and is easier, as you can walk away and leave them to cook.
Step Four – Put the roasted tomato mixture in a saucepan, discarding the woody herbs. Give the roasting tray a good scrape, as there will be lots of flavour packed bits stuck there.
Deglaze the tray by adding a splash of stock, swirling it around to collect all those bits, and then add it all to your soup pan.
Add the rest of the stock to the roasted tomatoes and bring to a simmer for a minute or two.
Helen’s Fuss Free Tip
If you want to make roast tomato pasta sauce rather than soup, put the vegetables into a blender instead of the pan this point, using just enough stock to make a thick sauce when you whizz it.
Step Five – Allow the soup to cool a little. Then blend your roast tomato soup with a stick blender until smooth. You can, of course, use a food processor or jug blender if you prefer.
MPORTANT – When you blend hot soup in a jug blender or food processor, remove the central bung, or pusher and hold a folded tea towel over the hole. This will allow the steam to escape. If you don’t, it can blow the top of the blender. This is one of the reasons why I find a stick blender easier!
Finally, add a little extra stock if you need to, to get the consistency you like. You can then season to taste, and add a squeeze of lemon to serve.
Helen’s Fuss Free Tip
You don’t need to spend a lot of money a fancy blender. I use a very basic stick blender from the supermarket that has lasted me for years.
Serving suggestion
I really enjoy garnishing soup to take it to another level. Try these ideas or experiment with your own.
- Scatter it with toasted nuts or seeds. Alternatively, make your own croutons.
- Decorate with some chopped fresh herbs or use a dab of pesto for a flash of contrasting gree
- Use a few drops of your favourite flavoured oil. If this comes in a pretty contrasting colour, it looks even better.
- If you like your soup a little richer, you can add a swirl of cream or yoghurt, dairy or otherwise.
- Sprinkle with a fine grating of parmesan or other hard cheese.
Variations
- For a dinner party, I like to whizz in a pat of butter, because this enriches to soup and makes it velvet smooth.
- Add some tomato puree with the stock for a really intense flavour.
- Add a little smoked paprika or chilli when roasting the tomatoes.
- Vary the herbs to taste.
- Add a drop of pastis.
- If you are feeling indulgent, then throw a little Parma ham or a few crispy lardons on top!
- Make a creamy roasted tomato soup by whizzing in a drizzle of cream or soft cheese.
Storage
Fridge – Allow your roasted tomato soup to cool and then pack into containers, seal and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezer – Once cold, pack into containers, seal and freeze. It will store for up to 6 months.
Reheating – Defrost in the fridge overnight, or on the kitchen counter for a few hours. Reheat your roast tomato soup in a pan on the stove top, or in a safe container in the microwave.
When using the microwave, I like to use a Pyrex-style jug as you can lift it out one handed, and I do not like reheating in plastic.
Hints and tips
- It is important to spread the tomato and onion out in the roasting pan, because they will not roast well if they are piled up. You want them to caramelise and gain that lovely, sweet, roast flavour.
- Let the soup cool a little before you blend it.
FAQS
Although tomatoes don’t particularly lend themselves to freezing when raw, this soup will keep well in the freezer.
I say this over and over again, but it is the diet rather than the dish that matters. Having said that, I think soup is great when you are trying to keep your weight down. It is an easy way to get all the good stuff into your diet and research has shown that the liquid content of the soup makes you feel fuller for longer.
I like the purity of the tomato flavour in this soup but you can experiment if you like!
No, everything will soften and break down nicely, so there’s no need to make life complicated!
You can blend it in a power blender to get the consistency you want. This will also reheat the soup!
More tomato soup recipes
Tomato is probably the most popular soup recipe you can make, so enjoy it often. Once you’ve mastered this version, try these variations on the theme:
- Tomato, red pepper and red lentil soup – quick, easy, warming and packed with protein from the lentils.
- Easy Gazpacho – using canned tomatoes makes this soup so easy.
- Pappa al pomodoro – the Italian classic to use up stale bread, taught to me in Tuscany by an Italian nonna!
- Roasted tomato and red pepper soup – a classic Mediterranean recipe.
- Soup maker tomato soup – a deliciously intense tomato soup recipe.
More Soup Recipes
- Celeriac soup – Delicious rich soup which is dinner party worthy
- Curried parsnip soup – delicately spiced, this soup is gorgeous but frugal. I’ve dressed it up with parsnip crisps for when you want to entertain in style.
- Turkey and lentil soup – Full of protein and a great way to use all your leftovers.
- All my easy soup recipes are here for you to explore. I’ve got a soup for every occasion!
- Make your simple soup into a feast by serving with fabulous homemade bread!
Roasted Tomato Soup
Ingredients
- 2 onions
- 2 cloves garlic
- 12 medium tomatoes (about 800g / 28oz)
- ½ tsp mixed herbs
- salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 500 ml vegetable stock (2 cups)
Optional To Serve
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp butter
Instructions
- Peel the onions, top tail and cut into wedges. Peel the garlic and cut any large cloves in half.2 onions, 2 cloves garlic
- Cut the tomatoes into quarters or halves, depending on size.12 medium tomatoes
- Spread the onion, tomatoes and garlic out in a large roasting pan. Add a generous sprinkling of the dried herbs, salt and pepper, and drizzle the oil over.Give the tray a good shake to break up the onions and and coat everything in oil.½ tsp mixed herbs, salt and pepper, 2 tbsp olive oil
- Put the pan in the oven and roast the vegetables at GM 6 / 400°F / 180°C (fan) for 35 minutes until soft and starting to brown.
- Transfer the roasted vegetables to a saucepan. Scrape the roasting tray to catch all the nuggets of flavour and swirl it round with the stock.500 ml vegetable stock
- Pour the stock from the roasting tray over the roasted vegetables in the sauce pan and bring to a simmer for a few minutes.
- Cool the soup. Add the lemon juice and if you want to add a little butter, add this now too. Then blend the soup with a stick blender (or in the food processor or blender) until smooth. Add a little extra stock if the soup is too thick. Then season to taste.2 tsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp butter
- Serve as is, or garnish with seeds and chopped fresh herbs or a swirl of yogurt or cream.
Notes
Storage
Fridge – Allow your roasted tomato soup to cool and then pack into containers, seal and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Freezer – Once cold, pack into containers, seal and freeze. It will store for up to 6 months. Reheating – Defrost in the fridge overnight, or on the kitchen counter for a few hours. Reheat your roast tomato soup in a pan on the stove top, or in a safe container in the microwave. When using the microwave, I like to use a Pyrex-style jug for convenience.Tips and variations
- It is important to spread the tomato and onion out in the roasting pan, because they will not roast well if they are piled up. You want them to caramelise and gain that lovely, sweet, roast flavour.
- Let the soup cool a little before you blend it.
- For a dinner party, I like to whizz in a pat of butter, because this enriches to soup and makes it velvet smooth.
- Vary the herbs to taste.
- If you are feeling indulgent, then throw a few crispy lardons on top.
- Add a little smoked paprika or chilli when roasting the tomatoes.
- Add a drop of pastis.
- Make a creamy roasted tomato soup by whizzing in a drizzle of cream or soft cheese.
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