One of the most comforting and flavorful soups you can make in the summer is undoubtedly a roasted tomato soup with fresh tomatoes! The tomatoes and vegetables are lightly charred in the oven and as their juices caramelize, it brings out their natural sweetness and it incredibly enhances their flavors.
You also get a flavor boost from the cayenne pepper and balsamic vinegar and I add just enough cream to balance the soup. For what would be a tomato soup without a little bit of cream?
I love love love this roasted tomato soup with fresh tomatoes! I’m actually excited when I see that it is going to rain for a few days as it gives me the perfect excuse to make a big batch of this soup.
NOTHING BEATS A GRANDMOTHER’S SOUP
I am the first to say that when tomatoes are at their best at the peak of summer, they don’t really need anything more than a sprinkle of salt and a drizzle of olive oil. But what about the chilly summer nights, when the sun has gone down and you are forced to go dig up a cardigan? That’s when a warming bowl of roasted tomato soup with fresh tomatoes comes in handy!
I tried to recapture the taste of my grandma’s tomato soup with this recipe. She would always serve soup before the main course and she was always making it with vegetables from my grandpa’s garden. We were always teasing my dad, telling him his soups would never be as good as his mums’ until he would become a grandparent himself. I don’t know why but there was something special about her soups! They all had a mellowness quality to them that I was never able to taste anywhere else. I don’t know if it was because of the fresh produce, a magical touch, or the fact that we were savoring it in the garden while the sun was setting.
She passed away many years ago and it’s been a long time since I had any of her soup but I do feel like this roasted tomato soup with fresh tomatoes recipe does her justice! In any case, it makes me think of her every time I make it.
STEP-BY-STEP
→ PREPARE THE TOMATOES
Stem the tomatoes, slice them in half, and add them to the largest roasting pan you have.
→ PREPARE THE VEGETABLES AND ROAST
Roughly chop the fennel, slice the carrots into coins and slice the garlic cloves in half. Add them all to the roasting tray and season them with the sugar, salt, black and cayenne pepper. Drizzle with the oil and vinegar. Stir with your hands until everything is well coated. Flip the tomato halves so that they are all cut side down. Roast in the preheated oven for 1h.
→ BLEND AND REHEAT THE SOUP
Blend the roasted tomato soup with fresh tomatoes until really smooth. Pour the soup into a pot and stir in stock. Heat over medium heat and bring the soup to a simmer. Stir in the cream and continue to simmer for 3 min. Serve!
BULK IT UP
You can add pasta to your roasted tomato soup with fresh tomatoes if you’d like. For the best results, I would suggest cooking the pasta separately until al dente following the packet’s instructions. Drain it, rinse it under cold running water to stop the cooking process and let the pasta drain thoroughly again. Stir them into the soup just before serving. 85g of small pasta such as stelline, orzo, ditalini or accini di pepe should be enough for this roasted tomato soup with fresh tomatoes recipe.
In France, cooked rice is added more often than pasta to tomato soups but I would be hard-pressed to tell you why!
NOT THE CREAMIEST OF SOUPS
This is not really a cream-of-tomato kind of soup. If this is what you are after, then you might be disappointed. I add just enough cream to this roasted tomato soup with fresh tomatoes to round up the flavors. I much prefer the sharpness of the tomato to come through so I only add three tablespoons of cream and that’s it!
Don’t get me wrong I adore creamy tomato soups! There is nothing more comforting, especially with grilled cheese on the side. It definitely has its spot in my soup rotation. However, I make this kind of soup in the winter using canned tomatoes, not in the summer with juicy and sweet fresh tomatoes. In my opinion, cream ‘dilutes’ the flavor of the slowly caramelized fruits. If I am going to wash, stem, and slice 4 pounds of fresh tomatoes to make this soup, I would rather taste the tomatoes than cream! Nonetheless, do feel free to add more cream if this is the way you love your roasted tomato soup with fresh tomatoes. No judgments here, to each their own!
Do you feel like warming up with another bowl of soup? Here are some of my favorite recipes:
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Roasted tomato soup with fresh tomatoes
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main course
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: French
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A bowl of roasted tomato soup with fresh tomatoes is just what you need to warm up on chilly summer nights. Roasting the tomatoes in the oven until lightly charred caramelizes their juices, brings out their natural sweetness, and gives a real flavor boost to the soup!
Ingredients
- 1.8kg ripe tomatoes (4 lbs)
- 1 small fennel, or use 1 medium yellow onion
- 1 small carrot
- 5 garlic cloves
- 2 tsp caster sugar
- 2 tsp fine sea salt
- ½ tsp black pepper, freshly ground
- a pinch of cayenne pepper, or use another type of chili powder
- 45ml olive oil (3 tbsp)
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 liter vegetable stock (4 ¼ cups), or you can use water
- 45ml heavy cream (3 tbsp), you can add more
Instructions
- Stem and halve the tomatoes. For this recipe you will need the largest roasting pan you have, preferably one with high sides. Insert the tip of a paring knife into a tomato, cut in a circular motion around the stem, pull the stem out and slice the tomato in half. There is no need to core/deseed the tomatoes. Add the two halves to the roasting pan and repeat with the other tomatoes.
- Prepare the vegetables. Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F). Cut off the stalks attached to the top of the fennel bulb and discard them. Slice the fennel bulb in half, roughly chop it and add to the pan. Peel the carrot, slice it into 8 mm (⅓ in) coins and add it to the tray. Peel the garlic cloves, cut them in half and add them to the tray. Season the vegetables with the sugar, salt, black and cayenne pepper. Drizzle with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Stir with your hands until everything is well coated in oil. Flip the tomato halves so that they are all cut side down. They can touch but if there is enough room, make sure that they are not on top of each other. This way, the tomatoes will brown better and actually roast instead of steam.
- Roast the vegetables and mix. Transfer the roasting pan to the oven and bake for 1 hour. The tomatoes should have blackened in places and their juices slightly caramelized. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth. It may take a while to get all the pieces. Be careful while mixing as the soup is burning hot. I also find it best to wear an apron because of potential splashes. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can blend the contents of the roasting pan in a food processor or blender (if using a blender, do this in batches as you should not fill it more than half full with hot liquid).
- Reheat. Pour the soup into a cooking pot and stir in stock. At this point, I often have to re-blend the soup a bit with my immersion blender because I notice I’ve missed a few bits of carrots or tomato skin etc. You can skip that step if the soup is smooth enough for you (or if you’ve used a food processor/blender). Heat the soup over medium heat and bring it to a simmer. Stir in the cream and continue to simmer for 3 min. The soup should not come to a boil. If the soup is too thick for your liking, thin it down by adding a small amount of water. Gradually add more if necessary until you reach the desired consistency. Serve immediately.
Notes
The roasted tomato soup with fresh tomatoes will keep in the fridge, stored in an airtight container, for up to 3 days.
Reheat the soup over medium-low heat, stirring often. It is normal if it has thickened in the fridge. Don’t hesitate to thin it down as written in the instructions if necessary.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 259
Keywords: summer soup ideas, summer vegetarian dinner recipes, tomato season recipes
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