Roasted Tomato Soup

This recipe is perfect for those who are looking to make healthier homecooked meals, or if you’re like me, you have way too many tomatoes from the garden and you need to use them up. This recipe can be altered to your specific taste or left just the way it is. I remember my great grandma always told me that recipes are only guidelines, they’re meant to be altered. This recipe was actually hers, but I added a few seasonings and ingredients and now it’s just the way that my family and I enjoy it!

Almost all ingredients used in this tomato soup recipe can be grown in gardens. I like to play with flavors by adding different kinds of the same ingredients. For example, I’ll roast roma, beefsteak, grape, and cherry tomatoes and combinations of different peppers. This is completely optional though as not everyone grows or has access to multiple varieties of vegetables. If you would only like to use one variety of tomatoes, I recommend using Roma tomatoes.

ROASTED TOMATO SOUP INGREDIENTS

• Tomatoes: I personally like the taste when my tomato soup is made with a variety of ripe tomatoes. Yes, they taste much better when they are extra ripe. If it was a good year for tomatoes in my garden I’ll use beefsteak, roma, chocolate cherry, and grape tomatoes. Don’t worry if none of your tomatoes are ready to harvest at the same time because, contrary to what some people believe, ALL green tomatoes will ripen on the counter over time.
• Peppers: This recipe only calls for bell peppers but feel free to use whatever kind of peppers you like. I’ve used both bells & chilis in the past for a little extra kick and it was so good. Just recently, I added bell peppers and sweet peppers and that was so yummy!
• Onions: If you don’t like onions, please give them a shot in this recipe first. I absolutely HATE eating onions but the flavor that onions provide to food is unlike anything else. All of the vegetables are getting pureed so there will be no chunks. I use either yellow or sweet onions.
• Garlic: Measure the garlic with your heart. I like to chop the top off of the whole bulb of garlic and roast it that way. It cools fairly quick – then you can just squeeze the roasted garlic-y goodness right into the pot.
• Seasonings: Before I roast the veggies, I drizzle them with oil, and sprinkle coarse salt, cracked pepper and rosemary on top to roast with the veggies. Once the veggies are roasted and ready to be blended, I add chili flakes, pepper, oregano, parsley, and basil. This is the combination that I think tastes so flipping good, but you can play around and make it yours by adding or removing seasonings you like/don’t like.
• Parmesan: I add a lot of parmesan to the pot before I blend, it just adds such a creamy, unique flavor that I love. I use the cheap powdered stuff from Kraft but I’d love to try this recipe with freshly grated parmesan.
• Broth: I use whatever broth I have on hand as the difference it makes is very slight but my favorite would be chicken broth.
• Oil: Use whatever cooking oil you want to roast your vegetables because the flavor that this soup has will cover up whatever taste of oil that you use. Don’t be shocked, but I rarely use olive oil. I’m a Canadian farm girl so I use a lot of canola oil. Or, if I’m feeling fancy, I’ll use avocado oil.
• Fresh basil: I like to chop some fresh basil into tiny pieces and sprinkle it on top as a garnish. I usually only have fresh basil for a couple months per year so this is completely optional.

Lets get into the recipe and get you on your way to making a nutritious and super yummy meal! Remember… recipes are only guidelines. Alter a few ingredients to make it your own and make it the way you & your family will enjoy!!

Roasted Tomato Soup

Cuisine: American, ComfortDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

10

minutes

A comfort meal that you can feel good about. This soup recipe is packed full of nutritious vegetables and yummy seasonings. Please make sure you let me know how you liked it once you give it a try!

Ingredients

• 2-3 pounds of a variety of tomatoes, quartered

• 1 large yellow onion, chopped roughly

• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped roughly

• 1 bulb of garlic – either left whole with the top chopped off or peel each individual clove

• 1-2 tbs coarse salt

• 2 tbs cracked black pepper

• 2 tbs dried rosemary

• 4 cups chicken broth

• 1 cup Kraft parmesan cheese, optional but delicious

• 2 tbs oregano, fresh or dried

• 1 tbs basil, fresh or dried

• 1 tbs ANY cooking oil

Directions

• Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with cooking foil or parchment paper.
• Spread tomatoes, peppers, onion, and garlic into an even layer on the sheet. Drizzle your cooking oil evenly over the veggies. Make sure to add extra on the garlic if you’ve opted to chop the top off the whole bulb. Sprinkle the salt, pepper and rosemary evenly over the veggies.
• Roast the veggies until they are nice and tender and have a nice color. This can take 30-45 minutes depending on your oven.
• While the veggies roast, bring the broth, oregano, basil and any other seasonings you like (I like to add chili flakes) to a light simmer.
• Once all the veggies are roasted, take them out of the oven and let them cool for a few minutes. If you have an immersion blender, go ahead and add all of the veggies (and the juices) to the pot with the chicken broth. Let everything simmer for 10 minutes. If you’ll be using a traditional blender, please see note #1 below.
• Before you puree everything together, add 1 cup of parmesan cheese to the pot. Puree everything together until the soup has reached desired thickness.
• Serve the soup and add a swirl of cream to the bowl. Serve with croutons or grilled cheese. Or just have the soup on it’s own – your call!

Notes

• #1. If using a traditional blender, just add 1/2 cup of the chicken broth and the veggies to the blender and blend until smooth. Add the blended contents to the broth pot on the stove! If you have a small blender, don’t worry if you have to blend in ‘batches’ – it’ll turn out just the same. Be very careful as blenders can build up intense internal pressure if the contents of the blender are hot. Always stop and crack the vent to release any pressure.
• #2 This makes a hefty pot of soup. Feel free to cut back for smaller portions. This recipe is the way that my family and I enjoy it but recipes are meant to be tweaked for your own enjoyment!
• #3 Click here and it’ll take to the immersion blender that I use. It works like a dream for hot soups. Plus, it’s stainless steel so it wont warp in hot liquids. Don’t make the mistake of buying a plastic one like I first did.