Roasted Tomato Soup is the best way to use up you ripe tomatoes! Roasting them brings out a rich, slightly sweet flavor, and makes this recipe relatively hands-off. Serve it with garlic roasted chickpeas on top for a healthy and comforting meal.
This Roasted Tomato Soup recipe is adapted from The Clean Plates Cookbook. I’ve adjusted it to suit my family’s preferences, and I love how you don’t need to add cream to get a silky, satisfying soup. The addition of fresh basil and sage takes the flavor to the next level.
Ingredients You’ll Need
What’s in roasted tomato soup?
- Fresh tomatoes (I use Roma tomatoes)
- Lots of garlic
- Onions
- Fresh herbs
- Balsamic vinegar
- Olive oil
You can add in coconut milk for creaminess, or even heavy cream or cheese if you don’t need a dairy-free recipe, but this simple combination becomes ultra-flavorful on its own.
How to Make Roasted Tomato Soup
Roast. Cut the tomatoes in half, and toss them with the garlic, vinegar, and oil. Season with salt, and roast until they are very soft and tender, about 45 minutes.
Let them cool, then slip the skins off if you want a smooth tomato soup. (They come off very easily after roasting.)
Cook the onions. Add olive oil to a large pot over medium heat, and sauté the onions until they are tender, about 10 minutes or so.
Add in the fresh herbs and stir for 1 more minute.
Blend. Transfer the sauteed onions and herbs, along with the roasted tomatoes, garlic, and juices from the pan into a blender. Blend until totally smooth.
You can add water, if needed to help the mixture blend, but the tomatoes are so juicy, you probably won’t need any. You’ll add liquid in the next step!
Simmer. Return the blended mixture to the pot, and add in 2 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring the soup to a simmer, and let it cook for 10 more minutes.
At this point, you can make any adjustments, adding more water to thin out the texture (I usually use 2 1/2 to 3 cups of water total), and you can add a touch of maple syrup, if you need a little more sweetness.
Serve warm right away, with your favorite toppings. Try it with air fryer chickpeas on top, for a fast crunchy addition.
Prefer a creamy tomato soup? You an add in some heavy cream or coconut milk for creaminess, if you like, or any other milk you like. Start with a 1/4 cup of full fat canned coconut milk, and see how you like it. You can always add more, as needed!
To Peel or Not to Peel
Do you need to peel tomatoes for soup? The peels contain most of the flavonoids and carotenoids found in tomatoes, so they make a healthy addition to this soup, but they will add a “stringy” texture if you’re looking for a smooth, blended soup. (Even my Vitamix doesn’t get it perfectly smooth with the tomato skins on.)
For a totally silky-smooth soup, I recommend removing the peels. They slip off very easily after they have cooled slightly from roasting, so it will take an extra 2 to 3 minutes of effort to remove them.
Roasted Tomato Soup
Ingredients
- 4 pounds ripe tomatoes , sliced in half
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 12 large garlic cloves
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil , divided
- Salt & pepper , to taste
- 2 medium-size red onions , diced
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450ºF. In a large rimmed baking sheet, combine the tomatoes, vinegar, garlic, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and a 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Toss well, then arrange the tomatoes in a single layer, skin side down, and roast until tender, about 45 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly, then slip the skins off the tomatoes for a silky-smooth soup.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onions and cook, stirring often, until very soft, about 10 minutes. Add the basil and sage and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 1 minute.
- Transfer the sauteed onions and herbs to a blender, along with the roasted tomatoes, garlic, and their juices from the pan. Blend until smooth. You shouldn't need to add water at this point, but you can add 1 cup of water if you need to help move things along.
- Pour the blended mixture back into the pan, and add in 2 cups of water. (Or just 1 cup, if you added some in the last step.) Season with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, or to taste, then bring the soup to a simmer. Adjust the flavor to taste, adding a tablespoon of maple syrup if you need added sweetness, or a 1/4 cup of coconut milk, if you'd like added creaminess. You can also add an additional 1 cup of water, for a thinner soup consistency. In that case, just add more salt, as needed to boost the flavor.
- Let the flavors simmer together for 10 minutes on the stove, then serve warm. Leftovers will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Update Note: This recipe has been updated in September 2021 to reflect my preferences. The original recipe from The Clean Plates cookbook is below, if you preferred that version. (Reposted with permission)
4 pounds ripe tomatoes, quartered
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
12 large garlic cloves, chopped
6 tablespoons organic extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Fine sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 medium-size red onions, diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
4 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage
Preheat the oven to 500F. In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, vinegar, garlic, 1/4 cup of the olive oil, and a generous sprinkle of salt and peppers. Transfer the mixture, along with any accumulated juices, to a large rimmed baking sheet. Arrange the tomatoes in a single layer, skin side down, and roast until charred on the edges, about 40 minutes. Set aside and cool slightly, then slip the skins off the tomatoes.
In a large saucepan or small stockpot over medium heat, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onions and cook, stirring often, until very soft, about 10 minutes. Add the basil, parsley, and sage and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 1 minute. Stir in the roasted tomatoes, along with any accumulated juices, and 5 cups of water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and cook gently to allow the flavors to blend, about 8 minutes. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite type of comfort soup?
That sounds like a fantastic recipe! We are a household of two, can this soup easily be frozen?
Cheers,
Bonnie
I freeze everything! I’m sure this one will thaw just fine, too.
So good but you tell us to divide tomates in halves and the photos show them cut in quarters
Ha,hal Excellent
This looks DELICIOUS! Did you use just medium sized tomatoes (not roma)?
I used the tomatoes that come on the vine, because that’s what looked good in the store. I have a feeling roma tomatoes would work, too, though.
This looks fabulous and easy. Can’t wait to try!
Question: What is on the bread in the background? It looks great too!
It’s a professional press photo from the publishers, so I have no idea. Looks delicious, though!
This looks amazing!! Have you made it yet? I think 500 degrees is a bit excessive.
I meant to mention that, too! I never heat my oven above 400F, so I assumed I’d have to roast my tomatoes a little longer, but after 40 minutes, they were roasted enough for me! I transfer them to a covered glass dish to “steam” so the skins will peel right off.
Hi! I just love your website:) You’re fantastic! This recipe looks awesome! Funny, I had tomato soup on the stove when I saw this new post in my inbox!:) Great recipe!
I tried this recipe with roma tomatoes & it was delicious!! When I was at the grocery store all I could remember was 4 lbs tomatoes & 2 onions. I forgot which fresh herbs I needed and didn’t get any (I just used dried basil & oregano I had on hand). I’ve never used balsamic vinegar before. When the tomotaes were roasting my kitchen smelled incredible – must’ve been the combo of the extra garlic I added (I used way more than recipe required) & balsamic vinegar. I didn’t add salt due to I’m following a low-salt diet. I didn’t like the thought of just composting the tomato skins after peeling because they tasted great so I added the skins to garlic fried rice to add more flavor. Perhaps next time I wont bother to peel the tomato skins?
Do you think this recipe would work with carrots without using a hand blender to puree? Or puree the carrots a little bit to keep some of the carrots chunky?
This soup is so delicious! My husband said it was the best soup he has ever had and “most excellent.” Thank you so much for sharing! I can’t wait to share with more family! I used 1 lb of campari tomatoes; 1 lb of cherry tomatoes; 2 red bell peppers and 1 yellow bell pepper because that is what I had on hand. I love soups of all kinds so it is very hard to narrow down but my 3 favorite are a senegalese soup (apples, carrots, raisins and curry pureed together); roasted red bell pepper (again pureed); and vietnamese hot and sour soup. Thank you for your recipes Megan!
I haven’t tried this but it sounds really good. It’s just me and my husband. He has recently found out he must change his eating. Finally he will have to eat with me. One of his fav foods is tomato soup. He always has cans on hand. Is this able to be stored in the freezer for a quick warm up on the stove? If not, can it be cooked by cutting in halves or fourths?
In my experience, soup freezes very well! But, you can also easily make less of a recipe by hovering over the number of servings in the recipe card, and using the slider to change the recipe to make a lower number of servings, if you’d like.
What perfect timing for this recipe. I had a lot of tomatoes from my garden and was trying to figure out something new to do with them when I saw this fabulous recipe. I just finished making a batch and am eating it as I write this review. It is sooooooo good! I’ll definitely be making this again. Thank you, Megan!
Hi Megan, I was wondering if I could roast the onions with the tomatoes instead of sautéing them? What are your thoughts? Thanks
Yes, I think that would work as long as you thickly slice the onions. I think they would burn if they got too thin in the oven. Let me know if you try it!
Soooo delicious! Didn’t need any of the additions like coconut milk or maple syrup.
The best tomato soup I’ve ever eaten.
So delicious and so easy to make.
Thank you so much for sharing an amazing recipes!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the tomato soup! Thanks so much for the feedback, Reeso.
Another winner. So full of flavor! I love this recipe and will be the new go to!
This was so good! I halved the recipe. In my convection oven, I roasted the tomatoes at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.