Smoky Roasted Tomato Soup

This is a Roasted Tomato Soup that tastes terrific even if your tomatoes aren’t at the height of ripe, seasonal perfection. So imagine how spectacular it is when they are! It’s incredibly simple to make: roast > blitz > warm > eat. I love the hint of smoky flavour in this from smoked paprika.

Bonus: Super healthy, at just 240 calories a serving.

Roasted tomato soup

Tomato soups made with fresh tomatoes always confused me because recipes encourage you to make it with ripe, sweet, summer tomatoes. But in the height of summer, hot soup is the last thing I want!

So, I don’t make tomato soup when tomatoes are in their summer prime. Instead, I make it in the shoulder season when it’s cooler, which means tomatoes are not at their utmost peak. But this is easily dealt with simply by roasting the tomatoes which coaxes out the natural sweetness and enhances the flavour.

For this soup, I also like to add a hint of smoky flavour by tossing them in smoked paprika and roasting them long enough to get a little char on them. Just makes it even more interesting – again, in case the tomatoes themselves are a little lacking!

 

Ingredients

  • Tomatoes – 1.5 kg / 3 lb of regular or roma tomatoes (those egg shaped ones). The more ripe, juicier and sweeter they are, the more delicious to soup will be. But as mentioned above, this soup is still great made with not-so-spectacular tomatoes (which, to be honest, is the typical tomatoes at Australian grocery stores).

  • Smoked paprika – Adds lovely earthy, smoky flavour to give this soup a little je ne sais quoi even if your tomatoes are not summer-prime, and even if you don’t have basil (see below). 🙂 It’s widely available at regular grocery stores, sold alongside regular paprika. Substitute with extra fresh basil instead!

  • Garlic cloves (lots!) – Five roasted whole in their skins so we can squeeze the flesh out later and blitz it into the soup. Plus another 2 garlic cloves sautéed with the onion.

  • Onion – Just your regular brown onion. Sautéing that with minced garlic goes a long way to add great flavour base into tomato soup.

  • Vegetable stock/broth – The liquid for the soup. Tastier than water! Use low sodium, though if you’ve only got regular salted stock, just reduce the salt listed in the ingredients 1/2 teaspoon.

  • Cream (just a bit) – I only use 1/2 cup (125 ml) of cream for a touch of creamy mouthfeel. It’s not intended to make the soup creamy as such, it’s just for finishing. So, feel free to leave it out – or substitute with butter if you don’t have cream. (Note: Even with the cream, it’s still a low 240 calories per serving!)

  • Basil – OPTIONAL. Don’t go and buy a whole bunch of expensive basil just for this recipe, unless you’re cooking for company! The smoked paprika plus char on the tomatoes is designed to give this soup a touch of extra flavour so it’s still great even if you don’t have basil, and is the reason I only use a bit. Though – if you’ve got basil, feel free to add a lot more!

How to make roasted tomato soup

Don’t be afraid to take the tomatoes a little further than your ordinarily would, to get a little charring on them for free smoky flavour.

  1. Place halved tomatoes and unpeeled garlic cloves on a baking tray. Toss with olive oil, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Arrange them cut face up.

  2. Roast for 40 to 45 minutes in a hot oven until the surface has little charred bits and the tomatoes are completely soft.

  3. Sauté the onion and garlic in a little oil until the onion is soft and translucent.

  4. Add the tomatoes and vegetable stock.

  5. Squeeze the roasted garlic flesh from the skins. The garlic flavour will be very mellowed and sweet. (It’s tempting to smear it on toast – in fact, it’s a brilliant way to use it!).

  6. Blitz until smooth using a stick blender. Or do this step in a food processor or blender (you need a high powered blender like a Vitamin or Blendtec to make the soup perfectly smooth).

  7. Simmer for 10 minutes to bring the flavours together, then stir in the cream.

  8. Ladle into bowls and serve with a drizzle of cream and sprinkle of fresh basil!

Recipe video above. This is a Smoky Roasted Tomato Soup that tastes terrific even if your tomatoes aren’t at the height of ripe, seasonal perfection – so imagine how spectacular it will be when they are! It’s incredibly simple to make – just blitz up roasted tomatoes and garlic with vegetable stock. It has a lovely hint of smoky flavour from smoked paprika and by taking the tomatoes a little further in the oven to get charred edges.

 

Bonus: Super healthy, at just 240 calories a serving!

Ingredients

SMOKY ROASTED TOMATOES:

  • 1.5kg/ 3 lb tomatoes , halved, cut a “V” out of the top to remove the core (Note 1)
  • 5 garlic cloves , NOT peeled
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika , optional (Note 2)
  • 1 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

SOUP:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
  • 1 onion , diced
  • 1 litre (4 cups) vegetable stock/broth , low sodium (try homemade!)
  • 1/2 tsp+ white sugar , only if needed (Note 3)
  • 1/2 cup cream , optional, plus extra for drizzling (sub 30g/2tbsp butter, Note 4)
  • 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh basil leaves , NOT CRITICAL (Note 5)

Instructions

ROAST TOMATOES:

  • Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F (200°C fan-forced).
  • Toss & squidge – Place the tomatoes and unpeeled garlic cloves on a tray. Drizzle/sprinkle with the oil, paprika, salt and pepper. Toss to coat, squidging the cut face of the tomato in the oil on the tray to thoroughly coat. Arrange tomatoes cut face up.
  • Roast for 40 to 45 minutes or until there is some charring on the tomatoes (see photos).

SOUP:

  • Sauté – Heat the oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Sauté the garlic and onion for 3 minutes or until the onion is translucent.
  • Tomatoes – Remove the garlic cloves from the baking tray. Scrape all the tomatoes and juices into the pot. Squeeze garlic flesh into the pot. Add vegetable stock.
  • Blitz with a stick blender until smooth (or do this in a food processor or blender).
  • Simmer – Bring to a simmer then lower heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the cream.

Recipe Notes:

1. Tomatoes – Regular tomatoes, any red variety. Not cherry tomatoes.

 

2. Smoked paprika – Adds a hint of lovely warm smoky flavour into the soup. Optional! I really like it because it gives this soup an extra touch to make up for those days when I don’t have fresh basil. I’d leave it out if you don’t have smoked, rather than using regular paprika.

 

3. Sugar – Use this if you know the tomatoes are underripe and a bit sour. Start with 1/2 tsp then add more if needed.

 

4. Cream – Just a bit of cream adds a lovely mouthfeel to soups. We’re not trying to make it really rich and creamy! Butter adds a similar touch.

 

5. Basil – This soup is designed to taste great even if you don’t have fresh basil. Don’t buy a whole bunch just for this recipe – unless you’ve got company! And if you do, feel free to stir in lots more. 🙂

 

Storage – Fridge 4 days, freezer 3 months.

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