Ingredients (Serves 3-4)

For Roasting

• 1 1/2 lbs large tomatoes, roughly chopped (~3-4 tomatoes)
• 1/2 lb Roma tomatoes, roughly chopped (~4 Romas)
• 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
• 1/2 large onion, roughly chopped
• 1 whole garlic cluster (head), top sliced off
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
• 1 teaspoon truffle salt (or kosher salt)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

For Finishing the Soup

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable base (like Better Than Bouillon)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coconut sugar (or regular sugar)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Roast the Vegetables

Preheat your oven to 425°F.

On a large baking sheet, add all the chopped tomatoes, the bell pepper, onion, and the entire head of garlic (cut-side up).

Drizzle everything with the olive oil and sprinkle on all the seasonings – garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, oregano, basil, chili flakes, truffle salt, and pepper. Toss to coat everything well.

Roast for ~20-30 minutes. The vegetables should be caramelized and tender.

For the last few minutes, turn on the broiler. This will char the edges of the vegetables, which adds a ton of flavor. Keep a close watch so they don’t burn.

Blend the Roasted Vegetables

Let the baking sheet cool down for a few minutes.

Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins and into a large bowl (or the pot you’ll use for the soup). Discard the paper skins.

Transfer all the other roasted vegetables from the baking sheet into the same bowl. Make sure to scrape in all the juices left on the pan.

Use an immersion blender to purée the vegetable mixture until it is completely smooth and creamy. Set it aside.

Build the Soup Base

In a Dutch oven or large pot, melt the 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat.

Stir in the 3 tablespoons of tomato paste and the chopped fresh basil. Let this cook for ~2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Cooking the tomato paste deepens its flavor and gets rid of any “canned” taste.

Simmer and Finish

Pour the blended vegetable purée into the pot with the tomato paste.

Stir in the 1 cup of chicken broth, the 1 1/2 teaspoons of vegetable base, and the 1 1/2 teaspoons of coconut sugar.

The sugar is just to balance the acidity of the tomatoes; it doesn’t make the soup sweet.

Stir everything together and let it come to a simmer. Taste it, and adjust any seasonings if you think it needs it.

Pour in the 1/2 cup of heavy cream and let the soup simmer for another 10 minutes. This allows all the flavors to meld together.

For an extra-smooth texture, you can hit it with the immersion blender one more time before serving.

Print Pin

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

This tomato soup gets its flavor from roasting all the vegetables first. Roasting the tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, and garlic on a sheet pan caramelizes them and creates a much deeper, sweeter flavor than you can get from simmering canned tomatoes.

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Ingredients

For Roasting

• ▢ 1 1/2 lbs large tomatoes ~3-4 tomatoes, roughly chopped
• ▢ 1/2 lb Roma tomatoes ~4 Romas, roughly chopped
• ▢ 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes
• ▢ 1/2 red bell pepper roughly chopped
• ▢ 1/2 large onion roughly chopped
• ▢ 1 whole garlic cluster head, top sliced off
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
• ▢ 1 teaspoon truffle salt or kosher salt
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

For Finishing the Soup

• ▢ 1 tablespoon butter
• ▢ 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• ▢ 2 tablespoons fresh basil chopped
• ▢ 1 cup chicken broth
• ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable base like Better Than Bouillon
• ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons coconut sugar or regular sugar
• ▢ 1/2 cup heavy cream

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Spread chopped tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, and garlic on baking sheet.
• Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with seasonings.
• Roast 20-30 minutes until caramelized, broil last few minutes for char.
• Squeeze roasted garlic from skins into large bowl.
• Add roasted vegetables and juices to bowl.
• Purée with immersion blender until smooth.
• Melt butter in pot, add tomato paste and fresh basil.
• Cook 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Add vegetable purée, chicken broth, vegetable base, and sugar.
• Simmer and stir, adjusting seasonings.
• Pour in heavy cream, simmer 10 more minutes.
• Blend again for extra smoothness if desired.

Notes

Sugar balances tomato acidity, not for sweetness.