Easy Roasted Tomato Soup

Easy Roasted Tomato Soup

This is one of those soups we make on repeat, especially when tomatoes are looking a bit sad in the fridge and need something magical to happen to them. Roasting everything together, the tomatoes, garlic, peppers and onions, transforms them into something deeply sweet and smoky with this incredible rich flavour you just can't get from a tin. It's velvety, warming, and honestly tastes like it took way more effort than it did. We always have a big batch of this on the go in autumn and winter. Make it tonight, you won't regret it.

Cook: 40 min
Serves 4

Before You Start

  • Preheat oven to 200°C
  • High-sided roasting tin
  • Baking tray
  • High-speed blender or stick blender
  • Tin foil

Ingredients

  • 1kg vine tomatoes
  • 1 bulb of garlic
  • 2 red onions
  • 2 red peppers
  • 6 sprigs of thyme
  • 1 400g tin of good quality tomatoes
  • olive oil
  • Salt & pepper
  • 3 slices of stale bread
  • 4 sprigs of rosemary
  • olive oil
  • fresh basil leaves
  • extra virgin olive oil

Method

1

Prepare the vegetables

  • Cut the tomatoes in half
  • Cut the top of the garlic bulb off to expose the cloves and wrap in tin foil
  • Roughly chop the red onions and peppers
2

Get ready to roast

  • On a roasting tin with high sides, lay the tomatoes skin side up, followed by the garlic, onions, peppers, basil stems and herbs. Sprinkle over plenty of salt and pepper and a big drizzle of olive oil. Transfer to the oven, and roast for 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender
  • Once tender, remove the tray from the oven, tip in the tinned tomatoes. Reduce the heat to 160*C fan, and return to the oven for 15 minutes
3

Whilst the veggies are cooking

  • For the croutons, tear the sourdough into rough chunks. Lay them on a baking tray, drizzle over olive oil, sprinkle with thyme leaves and salt and mix well. Transfer to the oven and cook a 160*C fan for 15 minutes until golden and crunchy
4

Blitz the soup and enjoy

  • In a high speed blender or with a stick blender, blitz the soup until smooth. Taste and season to perfection
  • Ladle into serving bowls, top with fresh basil, your croutons and a drizzle of olive oil

Tips & Variations

  • Get a good sear on the tomatoes: Make sure the tomatoes go in skin side up so they blister and caramelise on top. That slightly charred skin is where a lot of the flavour comes from, so don't be tempted to skip it.
  • Bulk it out: We love serving this with a big chunk of crusty sourdough for dunking, but if you want to make it more filling, stir in a tin of white beans before blending. Adds a lovely creaminess and makes it a proper meal.
  • Make it smoky: Henry always adds a teaspoon of smoked paprika before roasting if he wants a bit more depth. It works really well with the sweetness of the peppers and tomatoes.

Why This Works

The trick here is roasting the garlic as a whole bulb wrapped in foil. It goes completely soft and sweet and almost buttery, and when you squeeze it out into the soup it adds this depth that makes people ask what your secret ingredient is. Roasting everything on high sides so the juices stay in the tray is key too, because all that liquid is pure flavour and you want every drop of it in the blender.