Nothing beats a warm, cozy bowl of Tomato Soup on a cold winter night- especially when there's a crispy grilled cheese to go with it! This recipe is easy to make and comes together in less than 1 hour. I made this soup with fresh Roma tomatoes, basil, onions, garlic, and vegetable stock.
About This Recipe
I've said it before, and I'll say it again, tomato soup is the best soup to make in the winter! It's cozy and comforting, and when you pair it with a grilled cheese, it's heaven in a bowl.
Last week, my wife was craving tomato soup, so I decided to make it for meal prep this week. Unfortunately, we're in the middle of winter so fresh farmer's market tomatoes are not for sale right now. But I was still able to find some juicy Roma tomatoes from my grocery store. And they were on sale for $1.20 a pound! For being the middle of winter in Canada, that's a pretty good deal!
This tomato soup recipe is incredibly easy to make. The longest step is just roasting the vegetables, but even that is easy. Just toss the vegetables with olive oil and bake for 45 minutes. After that, all you need to do is add the vegetable stock and basil, blend until smooth, and stir in heavy cream.
Key Ingredients
Tomatoes: I used 3 pounds of fresh Roma tomatoes, but any type of fresh tomato should work. However, the absolute best tomatoes are fresh heirloom tomatoes from a summer farmer's market. They are super sweet and have a rich tomato flavor.
Other vegetables: We'll also need carrots, onion, and garlic.
Olive oil: For roasting the vegetables.
Seasonings: Salt, black pepper, dried oregano.
Vegetable stock: I used Campbell's low-sodium vegetable stock. I highly recommend using a high-quality stock here as it makes a BIG difference. Since we're using 1 liter of stock, I found that the flavor of lower-quality stocks can affect the final flavor.
Heavy Cream: For that extra richness!
Tomato paste (Optional): This is completely optional, but I highly recommend adding some tomato paste if your tomatoes are not very ripe or sweet. This is especially helpful in the winter when tomatoes are naturally less sweet.
Instructions
STEP 1: Add the tomatoes, onions, carrots, garlic, olive oil, and seasonings to a large bowl. Toss to evenly coat the vegetables.
STEP 2: Transfer the vegetables to a baking sheet. Bake at 450°F for 40-45 minutes until the vegetables are lightly charred on top.
STEP 3: Transfer the roasted vegetables to a pot. Add the vegetable stock and fresh basil. Use a hand blender or blender to blend until smooth. Finally, stir in the heavy cream and cook for 1 minute. Give the soup a taste, and if you think the soup is not "tomatoey" enough, stir in up to ¼ of a cup of tomato paste.
Tomato Soup (w/ Fresh Tomatoes!)
Ingredients
- 3 pounds ripe tomatoes (halved if small, quartered if large)
- 2 medium carrots (chopped)
- ½ medium onion (sliced)
- 4 cloves garlic (halved)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- ¼ cup fresh basil (plus more for serving)
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup tomato paste (optional if your tomatoes are not very ripe)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 450°F.
- To a large bowl, add the tomatoes, carrots, onion, garlic, olive oil, salt, black pepper, and dried herbs. Toss to the vegetables coat evenly, then transfer to a large, rimmed baking sheet.
- Roast for 40-45 minutes until the tomatoes and onions are charred. If the onions start getting burned, remove them from the oven and set aside.
- Transfer the roasted vegetables to a large pot. Add the tomatoes and fresh basil. Use a blender or hand blender to blend the mixture until smooth and creamy. Bring to a boil, then reduce to the lowest setting.
- Stir in the heavy cream and cook for 1 minute.
- Give the tomato soup a taste. If the tomato flavor isn't as strong as you'd like, try adding up to ¼ cup of tomato paste. I've found that winter tomatoes sometimes need a little boost in flavor.
- Ladle into serving bowls and top with more fresh basil. Enjoy!
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