Got tomatoes? Then you must make this homemade roasted tomato soup to celebrate. Roasted tomatoes, onions and red peppers create an incredibly rich flavor that far surpasses anything in a can.
The roasting takes a little time, but the prep work on your part isn't more than 15 minutes. You can also make this soup ahead, as the flavors get better over time.
There's nothing better than fresh tomatoes at their peak. Juicy, full of flavor and so many kinds of tomatoes available. And while they're great simply sliced on some toast with some olive oil, I love roasting tomatoes too.
In fact, I created this tomato basil soup when I was looking for ways to use some extra roasted tomatoes. They add so much savory umami to anything they touch, like this Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Soup.
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Ingredients
- Tomatoes - I always use a couple types of tomatoes: both heirlooms and compari® tomatoes. Or, you may have these Balsamic Roasted Tomatoes already on hand!
- Sweet onions - you can use yellow onions too, but sweet onions balances the flavors better.
- Red bell peppers
- Balsamic vinegar
- Olive oil
- Vegetable broth - I use Better Than Bouillon - Roasted Vegetable Paste and add water
- Lightly dried basil - or fresh basil leaves, sliced into slivers
- Cheese - Parmesan, Asiago, Cheddar and Monterey Jack all work well in this soup
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Recommended Equipment
- Baking sheet
- Air fryer, if you choose to air fry the peppers
- Heavy bottomed pot
- Immersion blender
- Cheese grater
Instructions
Step 1 (1 hour)
Roast the veggies. Prep the vegetables and drizzle with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Roast them. (Air fry the red bell peppers, if you have an air fryer.)
Step 2 (5 minutes)
Simmer. Pile the roasted veggies into a heavy bottomed pot (see Equipment for my recommendation). Add the broth and lightly dried basil. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. The roasted veggies are still warm, so this shouldn't take long.
Step 3 (3 minutes)
Purée. Purée to how smooth you want the soup. I like mine a little chunky, so I use an immersion blender. If you like your soup smoother, I recommend a countertop blender.
Step 4
Serve. Serve with a little grated cheese and slivers of basil.
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Side Dish Suggestions
Grilled cheese sandwich
Crusty bread
Green leafy salad
Make it a Vegetarian Main Dish
When I think of vegetarian main dishes, I look for protein. If you want to up the protein in this delicious soup, add 1 cup cooked white beans.
Roasted Tomato Soup with Basil (Recipe)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds tomatoes if in season, use heirlooms and either Roma or compari® tomatoes.
- 2 red peppers
- ½ large sweet onion peeled and cut into ½" half - rings
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar divided
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt divided
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper divided
- 1 ½ cups vegetable broth
- 2 teaspoons lightly dried basil
- ¼ cup cheese, packed Parmesan, Asiago, Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut out the stems of the tomatoes. Slice the tomatoes in half and slice the ½ onion into ½" thick half - rings. Arrange on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 of the tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.
- Roast for 1 hour.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400˚F. Slice the peppers into large pieces. Toss in the remaining olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Air fry for 10 minutes. Put the red pepper slices into a container and cover for 10 minutes. Remove and peel.
- Tip: If you don't have an air fryer, no worries. Just roast them with the tomatoes and onions, although you may need a second baking sheet to do this.
- Allow the roasted tomatoes and pepper to cool enough to handle, and slip off tomato skins that remove easily.
- Pile the roasted tomatoes, peppers and onion rings into a heavy bottomed pot. Add the vegetable broth and lightly dried basil, and bring to a simmer.
- Using an immersion blender, purée the soup to the degree you prefer. If you like a super-smooth soup, use a counter top blender to purée.
- Stir in the cheese until it melts. Correct for any seasoning.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Mjskitchen
Great timing! We have an abundance of tomatoes, basil, and red peppers from the garden. A perfect recipe for August. Also like the eggplant and tomato soup since we have eggplant as well. Thanks!