Juicy tomatoes that have been slow roasted to develop a rich flavor. Combined with garlic, spices & fresh basil to create a beautifully simple soup just begging for a perfectly toasted grilled cheese on the side!
Tomato soup is one of the most classic soup recipes that can be found on restaurant menus & in kitchens all over the world. Once of the great things about tomato soup is it’s simplicity. Tomato soup being classically paired with a grilled cheese sandwich has also helped to boast it’s popularity, because who doesn’t love melted cheese sandwiched in-between toasty bread? I know I do! Anyway, back to the soup. This recipe features simple oven roasted tomatoes paired with a few pantry staples & fresh basil to give you a pot of pure tomato soup perfection.
Oven Roasted Tomatoes
The beauty in oven roasting tomatoes is that you end up with a beautifully deep tomato flavor, even when tomatoes aren’t in season! Simply cut the tomatoes into halves or fourths (depending on the size) & roast in a deep sided baking dish with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic & fresh basil. The result is a pan full of sweet & juicy tomatoes ready to be made into soup.
Slow roasted tomatoes are truly one of the most beautiful before & after shots! Just look at that transformation!
What You Need to Make Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
- tomatoes
- olive oil
- garlic
- basil
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- onion
- dried thyme
- dried oregano
- red pepper flakes
- anchovy paste
- red or white wine
- tomato puree or sauce
- chicken broth
Vegetarian Swaps for Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
Lets talk about vegetarian and vegan swaps! Blending the soup gives it the perfect thickness & creamy texture without the addition of dairy. You can leave out the anchovy paste (substitute with a pinch more salt) & swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth for a vegetarian/vegan version!
Blending the Soup
Next, let’s chat blending! There are two methods to achieve the silky smooth texture of this soup: a traditional blender or a hand blender.
Blender:
Work with half the soup at a time, and pour it into the blender & blend on medium speed until the soup is smooth & there are no chunks left. Repeat with other half.
Hand Blender:
I find that immersion (or hand) blenders are much easier to use for blending soup. You can insert the hand blender directly into the pot of soup (make sure heat is off & hand bender is all the way into the pot) & blend until soup is smooth & there are no chunks left. You can see my recommended immersion blender by clicking here.
Serve the soup with a drizzle of olive oil & enjoy!
Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
Ingredients
- 3 lbs Roma Tomatoes or tomatoes on the vine, cut in half or wednges depending on the size
- ½ cup Olive Oil divided
- 1 head Garlic with the tip sliced off
- 1 cup Basil Leaves loosley packed and divided
- Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper
- 2 cups Yellow Onion small diced
- 1 teaspoon Dried Thyme
- 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- ¼ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
- ½ teaspoon Anchovy Paste
- ¼ cup White Wine or red wine
- ½ cup Tomato Sauce or tomato puree
- ½ cup Chicken Broth
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°
- In a large, high sided baking dish, combine tomatoes, ¼ cup olive oil, garlic, ½ cup basil leaves, 1 teaspoon salt & ½ teaspoon pepper. Toss to combine. Roast for 60 minutes, or until tomatoes are soft & wilted. Once cooked, remove basil & garlic & set aside.
- In a large heavy bottom pot or Dutch Oven set to medium heat, sauté onion in remaining olive oil with ½ teaspoon salt & ¼ teaspoon pepper, until soft, but not browned, about 7-10 minutes.
- Once onions have cooked, turn the heat to medium high & add 6-8 cloves from roasted garlic, thyme, oregano, red pepper flakes & anchovy paste. Cook for 1 minute, until herbs have toasted & anchovy paste has fully disappeared into the onions. Next, add wine & using a wooden spoon, scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until wine has reduced by half.
- Add cooked tomatoes, remaining basil leaves, tomato puree & broth to the pot. Stir to combine.
- Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- To blend the soup in a blender: pour half of the soup into a high powered blender & blend until smooth. Repeat with remaining half, then return soup to the pot.
- To blend the soup with a hand blender: place hand blender directly into the pot & carefully blend until smooth.
- Taste the soup & if needed, add more salt. If the soup needs more broth, add extra both 1 tablespoon at a time until you reached your desired consistency.
- Serve, drizzled with olive oil.
Coming from someone who doesn’t really like anything with tomatoes, this is delicious and so simple! Perfect for cold days.
So glad you loved this recipe!
Made this for dinner tonight and it was absolutely delicious and not at all difficult to make.
Hi Bonnie! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe!
Delicious and my husband asked me to make it again. Used whole anchovies instead of paste. Thinking to add red pepper and roast with tomatoes and garlic. It is so yummy 😋
I love using whole anchovies! Red pepper would be a delicious addition!