Saving Room for Dessert

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Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

5 from 6 votes

Tomatoes, onion and garlic are slow roasted to create a vibrant, smooth and creamy, flavorful soup with fresh basil and garlic. 

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Roasted Tomato Basil Soup in a bowl with bread

A popular restaurant favorite – Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

Back in the day when I worked as an office manager, a couple of my co-workers talked about a local restaurant and the wonderful tomato basil soup they served on occasion.  While I never tried that recipe, I did get ‘tomato soup on the brain’ and set out to make our own at home.  I wanted our tomato basil soup to be restaurant-quality, cream-free, and meatless with a lot less sodium. This required a cooking method that would impart tremendous tomato flavor without tasting like a can of stewed tomatoes.

 

Fresh tomatoes, onion, basil, garlic and thyme

Roasting vegetables builds terrific flavor.

I took my inspiration from a recipe in Delicious Soups by Belinda Williams where the tomatoes, garlic and onion are oven roasted before being added to the soup pot.  This method makes a big difference in the flavor.

Even though garden fresh tomatoes will have to wait until summer, I was happy to find these Roma Tomatoes at a reasonable price in our local grocery store.  I started with 18 tomatoes or about 3.5 pounds.  Any nice ripe tomato will do such as these Roma or plum.

 

A pan of tomatoes, onion and garlic drizzled with olive oil

Roasting tomatoes and onions is easy to do!

Slice the red onion into quarters, slice the tomatoes in half, add 6 cloves of garlic and toss the whole thing in 1/3 cup of olive oil.  Sprinkle with sea salt and roast in a moderate (350 degree) oven.  Slow roasting brings out the sweetness of the tomatoes.

 

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup in a blender

The roasted vegetables are pureed for a smooth and creamy base.

Toss 1/4 cup of fresh basil, 6 tablespoons tomato paste, the roasted onions and roasted tomatoes in a good blender.  Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves into the blender and discard the skins.

 

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup in a blender

The ultimate tomato sauce or soup!

Blend until the mixture is almost smooth.  I think this would be perfect to toss with pasta, spread on a pizza crust, or just eat with a spoon. Add a little Merlot and I think I have another recipe!

 

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup in a bowl topped with fresh basil and cheese

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup is a snap to pull together.

Pour the puree into a soup pot and add 3- 4 cups of vegetable stock, depending on desired consistency.  Season with a little granulated sugar, crushed red pepper, fresh thyme, salt and pepper and heat just until hot – do not boil.

 

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup in a bowl

Garnish and serve

Serve garnished with fresh basil, ground black pepper and a little grated Parmesan.  A big hunk of an oven fresh toasted baguette doesn’t hurt either!

 

Closeup of a bowl of Roasted Tomato Basil Soup garnished with Parmesan and fresh basil

 

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A bowl of roasted tomato basil soup with a slice of bread on top

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PRINT THE RECIPE!

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield: 6 - 8 servings
Course: Meatless Monday, Soup
Author: Tricia
Pin RecipePrint RecipeRate Recipe
5 from 6 votes
Tomatoes, onion and garlic are slow roasted to create a vibrant, smooth and creamy, flavorful soup with fresh basil and garlic. 

Ingredients

  • 3 ½ pounds fresh, ripe Roma tomatoes or Plum tomatoes
  • 2 large red onions quartered
  • 6 whole garlic cloves skin on
  • â…“ cup olive oil
  • 6 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 4 cups vegetable stock
  • ¼ cup fresh basil leaves packed
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
  • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
  • fresh ground pepper
  • sea salt

Optional garnishes:

  • fresh basil julienned (sliced in thin ribbons)
  • grated Parmesan
  • extra drizzle of olive oil for serving
  • sliced baguette for serving

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350° F.
  • Core the tomatoes and slice in half. Add the tomatoes, quartered red onion, and whole garlic cloves to a large bowl. Drizzle with â…“ cup of olive oil, toss to coat. Spread the mixture on a large baking sheet with the tomatoes cut side up. Sprinkle the vegetables with sea salt and bake for 30-40 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and slightly caramelized.
  • In the carafe of a blender add ¼ cup basil leaves, crushed red pepper, sugar, and tomato paste.
  • When the tomatoes are roasted add them to the blender along with the roasted onion. Squeeze the garlic cloves into the blender discarding the skin. Pour any pan juices into a large soup pot and set aside.
  • Blend the tomato and onion mixture until smooth and creamy.
  • Pour the puree into the soup pot and add 3 cups of vegetable stock. Add up to another cup of vegetable stock or until you reach the desired consistency.
  • Stir in the fresh thyme, salt and pepper to taste. Heat on medium until hot - do not boil.
  • Serve garnished with a drizzle of olive oil, basil and grated Parmesan if desired.

Recipe Notes

Inspired by a recipe in Delicious Soups by Belinda Williams.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. When multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Nutrition

Calories: 201kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Sodium: 771mg | Potassium: 868mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 2940IU | Vitamin C: 45mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 2mg

Well there you have it … another meatless Monday meal that doesn’t make you feel like something’s missing!  Why meatless?  As we get older it’s harder to keep those cholesterol numbers down so as much as as we can, we try to eat healthy, get a little exercise and behave. Oh yes, we’re still saving room for dessert!

 

Here are a few more recipes you might enjoy:

Tomato Cobbler

 

 

Tortellini Tomato Soup

 

 

Spicy Summer Tomato Jam

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36 Comments

  2. michael

    The Roasted Tomato Basil Soup looks awesome Tricia!!! We love this soup, Debbie makes it a lot this time a year!! Enjoy your Sunday! 🙂 Michael

    Reply

  3. Susan

    I’m definitely bookmarking this one to make in the summer when tomatoes are abundant at the farmers market! I really sounds delicious and your photos are making my mouth water 🙂

    Reply

  4. Sam @ My Carolina Kitchen

    Wow, roasting everything made all of the difference in the world. Roma tomatoes are my favorite winter tomatoes for reliability and taste. More often than not, they are better than the locally grown Florida tomatoes we find at our local farm stand.
    Sam

    Reply

  11. Monica

    I missed this yesterday! Tricia, this looks too amazing!! It is 5 degrees right now and I’m getting ready to make a far less exciting red lentil soup today. I love to get roasted tomato soup when I see it out somewhere. It is such a treat and the idea of making it at home always seemed kind of complicated. I can see it’s well worth the effort to do it. I would not miss the meat here whatsoever! I think your Meatless Mondays are working out beautifully. Stay warm…hope there’s some soup left!

    Reply

  12. tanna

    Now, THERE’S a tomato soup recipe! Oh, that sounds so flavorful… and healthy! Gotta love that. Thank you, Tricia! blessings and hugs ~ tanna
    ps I love that soup spoon… and the burlap… and the rough wood… very beautiful. 😉

    Reply

  14. Betty

    Don’t you love how roasting really brings out the flavors of those tomatoes? I know this soup would rival any soup found in a restaurant! It looks absolutely perfect. And as good as it is with winter tomatoes, can you imagine how good it will be with vine ripened ones fresh from the garden? Yum! 🙂

    Reply

  15. Becky Green

    Oh my Tricia! This looks SO GOOD! I WILL have to try this one! Yes, I know how those cholesterol numbers are…..:( Thanks for coming over to visit! 🙂 The news media isn’t talking too much about the issue, “Net Neutrality.” But, every so often, you hear about it…. I think it’s like the Health Care Issue….we’re going to loose! Anyway, I showed my husband this recipe….he thinks it looks GOOD too! 😉

    Reply

  18. Beth

    Great recipe! Unfortunately, living in Toronto means I may have to wait a while until the best of the tomatoes are ready. Thanks for sharing this gorgeous recipe.

    Reply

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