Simple, vibrant and versatile, this tasty roasted tomato soup can be served hot or cold. With just a few ingredients, including roasted ripe tomatoes as the stars of the show, you can have a soup bursting with flavor and color in just over 30 minutes.
Are you one of those fortunate people whose garden produced more tomatoes than you know what to do with? Or do you simply love garden-fresh, homegrown tomatoes and seek them out at every turn? (That would be me. I love finding little produce stands along the side of the road where people are selling their tomatoes, corn, peppers, and other seasonal abundance.) Either way, this recipe is a wonderful way to use those ripe tomatoes.
This roasted tomato soup recipe is perfect for this time of year when the outdoor temperature fluctuates. If it’s a warm day, chill the soup and serve it cold and refreshing. If it’s a chilly day like today, enjoy a bowl of warm comfort. Either way, each spoonful is a burst of the unique tomato flavor that is fresh and rich.
Roasting the tomatoes with olive oil, sweet onion, and garlic and then blending it all with fresh basil brings out the savory, mellow essence of the tomatoes. The roasting caramelizes their natural sugars, resulting in a deeper, more intense flavor.
The recipe below is adapted from one in an inspiring cookbook my daughter recently gave me, Simply Scandinavian by Trine Hahnemann. Instead of using all Roma tomatoes, I used a combination of Roma tomatoes and cherry tomatoes. This was in part because that’s what I had on hand, and also because while the Romas offer a nice smooth, firm texture, the cherry tomatoes add a sweetness to the flavor. A fun bonus of making this soup: your kitchen will smell amazing!
The simplicity is what makes this roasted tomato soup so easy and appealing, and it really allows the flavor of the roasted tomatoes to shine. It is perfect as part of a lunch, with croutons, crusty bread or a grilled cheese sandwich, or serve it as a side with dinner. A swirl of sour cream, plain yogurt, or crème fraîche adds a bit of thick, creamy richness.
Nourish yourself and your loved ones with deep flavors and all of the vitality and joy that comes with juicy, humble, homegrown tomatoes.
I can’t even tell you what has made this week go by so quickly, but I think it is because Monday was a holiday. In any case, it is September already and the chill in the air makes it feel like fall, the beautiful season of change and transitions. It is not always easy to embrace change and transition but I am attempting to draw inspiration from nature and trust in resilience and wisdom of the process. And drawing grace and balance from rituals like making delicious soup out of fruits of the earth. I hope you have a great weekend!
Roasted Tomato Soup
Ingredients:
3 and 1/3 pounds of a combination of Roma (plum) tomatoes and cherry tomatoes (enough to fill a standard rimmed baking sheet when the Roma tomatoes are halved lengthwise and cherry tomatoes are left whole.)
1/2 cup sweet or white onion, chopped (add more onion if you prefer)
2 garlic cloves, chopped
4 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground coriander
leaves from a small bunch of basil
3/4 cup water
salt and pepper to taste
Optional additions: croutons or bread, sour cream, plain yogurt, crème fraîche, chopped chives or green onions
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a rimmed baking sheet (about 13 inch x 18 inch in size) with parchment paper. Wash your tomatoes and cut the Roma tomatoes lengthwise. You can leave the cherry tomatoes whole.
Place the tomatoes on the baking sheet (with the Romas cut-side facing up) with the chopped onions and garlic. Drizzle the olive oil over the tomatoes, onions and garlic. Sprinkle with the ground coriander and some salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes.
Take the baking sheet out of the oven and let it cool for a bit. Then carefully place everything in a blender and add the fresh basil. Blitz it into a soup, allowing the texture to remain a bit lumpy. Pour the soup into a saucepan and add the water. Bring just to a boil, season to taste, and turn off the heat.
If you are serving the soup hot, serve right away. If serving the soup cold, allow it to cool and then refrigerate it until cold. Add finely chopped chives or green onions if desired. Swirl in a spoonful of sour cream, plain yogurt, or crème fraîche if desired. The sour cream and yogurt work better when the soup is cold, while the crème fraîche is best in the hot soup. Add croutons or bread. Enjoy!
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