Sweet, slow-roasted tomatoes, fragrant basil and garlic come together in this simple, comforting homemade soup.
There is something wonderfully satisfying about making tomato soup from scratch. Especially when the tomatoes are roasted first, allowing their natural sweetness to deepen and their edges to become beautifully caramelised.
This homemade roasted tomato soup is simple, comforting and full of fresh Mediterranean flavour. Ripe tomatoes are roasted with garlic, olive oil and thyme before being added to a rich vegetable stock with gently sautéed onion, tomato purée and fresh basil. Everything is then blended until smooth and velvety.
It is a lovely recipe for using up a generous haul of ripe tomatoes and makes an easy lunch or light supper. Serve it with warm crusty bread, a drizzle of good olive oil and perhaps a little Parmesan for a simple bowl of comfort.
Serves
6
Ingredients
2kg ripe salad tomatoes
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for the onion
1 large red or brown onion, roughly chopped
2 tbsp tomato purée
2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves or dried thyme
4–6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 litre vegetable stock
A generous handful of fresh basil leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Method
Roast the tomatoes
Preheat the oven to 200°C / 180°C fan / Gas Mark 6.
Quarter the tomatoes and arrange them in one or two large roasting dishes, making sure they have enough space to roast rather than steam. Scatter over the chopped garlic, drizzle generously with the olive oil and sprinkle with the thyme, salt and black pepper.
Roast for approximately 30–40 minutes, until the tomatoes have softened, released their juices and developed some golden, caramelised edges.
Prepare the soup base
While the tomatoes are roasting, roughly chop the onion. Heat a little olive oil in a large soup pot over a medium heat and add the onion.
Gently sauté for around 5–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent. Add the tomato purée and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring regularly. This helps deepen the flavour of the tomato purée.
Pour in the vegetable stock and bring everything to a gentle simmer.
Add the roasted tomatoes
Once the tomatoes have finished roasting, carefully tip them and all of their delicious juices into the soup pot. Add the fresh basil and stir everything together.
Reduce the heat and simmer gently for another 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, to allow all the flavours to come together.
Blend until smooth
Remove the soup from the heat and blend until smooth and velvety using a stick blender or food processor. Taste and adjust the seasoning with additional salt and freshly ground black pepper if needed.
If you prefer a particularly silky soup, you can pass it through a fine sieve after blending.
To Serve
Ladle the warm soup into bowls and finish with a few fresh basil leaves and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
Serve with warm homemade crusty bread for dipping, or even some bruschetta or caponata, a little freshly grated Parmesan or a spoonful of ricotta can also be lovely if you want to make it a little more indulgent.
A Mia Dolce Vita Touch
This is the kind of recipe that makes the most of simple ingredients. There is no need for complicated techniques or a long list of additions — just good tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, herbs and a little time.
If you have a glut of tomatoes at the end of summer, this is a wonderful way to use them. Make a large pot and enjoy it for lunch throughout the week, or freeze portions for a colder day when you want something warm and homemade without having to start from scratch.
For an Italian-inspired lunch, serve the soup with some bruschetta and a little bowl of olives. Sit down, pour yourself something cold and make lunch an occasion rather than something to eat hurriedly between everything else.
Simple food, beautifully made and best enjoyed slowly.