Smoky Roasted Tomato Soup

4.92 from 45 votes

Recipe video above. This is a Smoky Roasted Tomato Soup that tastes terrific even if your tomatoes aren't at the height of ripe, seasonal perfection - so imagine how spectacular it will be when they are! It's incredibly simple to make - just blitz up roasted tomatoes and garlic with vegetable stock. It has a lovely hint of smoky flavour from smoked paprika and by taking the tomatoes a little further in the oven to get charred edges.

Bonus: Super healthy, at just 240 calories a serving!

Servings:

Calories: 240cal

Author: Nagi

Ingredients

Smoky roasted tomatoes:

1.5kg/ 3 lb tomatoes , halved, cut a "V" out of the top to remove the core (Note 1)
5 garlic cloves , NOT peeled
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika , optional (Note 2)
1 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Soup:

1 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves , finely minced
1 onion , diced
1 litre (4 cups) vegetable stock/broth , low sodium (try homemade!)
1/2 tsp+ white sugar , only if needed (Note 3)
1/2 cup cream , optional, plus extra for drizzling (sub 30g/2tbsp butter, Note 4)
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh basil leaves , NOT CRITICAL (Note 5)

For serving (pictured):

Grilled cheese!

Cups - Metric

Instructions

Roast tomatoes:

Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F (200°C fan-forced).
Toss & squidge - Place the tomatoes and unpeeled garlic cloves on a tray. Drizzle/sprinkle with the oil, paprika, salt and pepper. Toss to coat, squidging the cut face of the tomato in the oil on the tray to thoroughly coat. Arrange tomatoes cut face up.
Roast for 40 to 45 minutes or until there is some charring on the tomatoes (see photos).

Soup:

Sauté - Heat the oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Sauté the garlic and onion for 3 minutes or until the onion is translucent.
Tomatoes - Remove the garlic cloves from the baking tray. Scrape all the tomatoes and juices into the pot. Squeeze garlic flesh into the pot. Add vegetable stock.
Blitz with a stick blender until smooth (or do this in a food processor or blender).
Simmer - Bring to a simmer then lower heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the cream.
Ladle into bowls, drizzle with cream and garnish with basil. Dunk in grilled cheese and enjoy!

Notes

1. Tomatoes - Regular tomatoes, any red variety. Not cherry tomatoes.

2. Smoked paprika - Adds a hint of lovely warm smoky flavour into the soup. Optional! I really like it because it gives this soup an extra touch to make up for those days when I don't have fresh basil. I'd leave it out if you don't have smoked, rather than using regular paprika.

3. Sugar - Use this if you know the tomatoes are underripe and a bit sour. Start with 1/2 tsp then add more if needed.

4. Cream - Just a bit of cream adds a lovely mouthfeel to soups. We're not trying to make it really rich and creamy! Butter adds a similar touch.

5. Basil - This soup is designed to taste great even if you don't have fresh basil. Don't buy a whole bunch just for this recipe - unless you've got company! And if you do, feel free to stir in lots more. :)

Storage - Fridge 4 days, freezer 3 months.

Nutrition