Roasted Tomato & Garlic Soup with basil is perfect for using up a glut of overripe tomatoes. It’s quick and easy to prepare with just 5 ingredients. 2 whole bulbs of roasted garlic give this soup a beautiful buttery and mellow garlic flavour.
How did Roasted Tomato & Garlic Soup come about?
This was my first year growing Marmande tomatoes which are a French heritage variety similar to a beef steak tomato and rich in flavour.
However, with the volatile weather we had this year my crop suffered. Many of the tomatoes suffered from blight and splitting due to too much rain.
There were a few good tomatoes but many seemed to be overripe (or just pale and fibrous inside).
So, with a windowsill full of mainly overripe tomatoes, I knew that making chutney was out of the question so I decided a roasted tomato soup would be the best option.
Then spying 2 bulbs of garlic I decided to add those but no onion.
Gino D’Aampo has often said that he was taught by an Italian chef to never mix garlic and onion in the same dish otherwise they’re too overpowering. He’s right as the garlic really is enough here!
Finally the pot of basil on my patio stared up at me so I used a handful of basil leaves to finish off the soup.
What tomatoes should you use to make Roasted Tomato & Garlic Soup?
Home grown or vine ripened tomatoes are best for flavour. If they’re split, battered, bruised or overripe it doesn’t matter, this soup is perfect for them.
Full flavoured tomatoes are best whether like plum or Marmande and cherry or cherry plum tomatoes would be equally good. Just no pale salad tomatoes please!
What’s so good about this Roasted Tomato Soup?
- Suitable for vegetarians.
- Suitable for vegans.
- It’s rich in lycopene which can potentially help prevent many chronic diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease.
- Great for those following a healthy Mediterranean diet as it contains tomatoes, garlic and olive oil.
- Perfect for people who can’t eat onion but can eat garlic.
- A great way to use up a glut of tomatoes that are no good for eating or preserving.
- It tastes incredible!
How do you make Roasted Tomato Garlic Soup? (full recipe at end of post)
This soup is so quick and easy to prepare it will become your go to tomato soup recipe for fresh tomatoes!
- Gather your ingredients: vine ripened tomatoes, garlic bulbs, quality vegetable stock cubes, fresh basil leaves and seasoning.
- Place the garlic and tomato segments on a roasting tray and drizzle over the olive oil and seasoning and give the tomatoes a little toss with a spatula to coat.
- Put roasting tray in a preheated oven at 180°C for 1 hour, turning the tomatoes halfway through.
- Once roasted, allow to cool slightly before squeezing out the garlic from their skins.
- Place tomatoes and garlic in a saucepan.
- Blitz to desired consistency (it’s easier to gauge before you add the stock).
- Stir in the vegetable stock and freshly chopped basil.
- Gently heat to serving temperature and serve with cheesy bread!
What should you serve with this soup?
Crusty bread is the usual choice for soup but I think tomato soup cries out for cheese too so here are my suggestions!
Easy Cheesy Jalapeno Soda Bread
- Pizzetta Toast (shown in all the soup photos)
- Quick Ciabatta Pizzas
- Easy Cheesy Chilli Cob
- Olive & Parmesan Cob Loaf
- Easy Cheesy Jalapeno Soda Bread (in photo above)
- Emmental Soda Bread
- Wholemeal Cheddar & Apple Chutney Soda Bread with Cider
- Cheesy Pull Apart Garlic Bread
What else could you add to roasted tomato soup?
You could add any of the following to the tomatoes and garlic before roasting:
- Halved red or green chillies with the seeds scooped out.
- ½ teaspoon dried crushed chillies.
- Strips of red bell pepper.
- Red onion segments (ignore Gino if you must)!
- 1 – 2 teaspoons Smoked paprika.
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper.
- Cubed chorizo sausage.
- Fresh rosemary (instead of basil).
- A can of cannellini, butter beans or red lentils after blitzing (may require more stock).
- Lemon juice and sugar to taste after blitzing for a bit of zing.
- Crispy bacon to garnish.
How long will homemade tomato soup keep?
This soup will keep for 3 days if kept covered in the fridge.
Can you freeze this soup?
Yes, once cooled you can freeze by pouring the soup into a bag/s held up in a jug and seal. Remove the jug once the soup has frozen. Or you can fill ice cube trays and then transfer the cubes to a freezer bag and thaw what you need and heat.
More recipes to help use up a glut of tomatoes!
If you grown your own tomatoes then you’ll find the following recipes very useful:
- Roasted Tomato, Red Pepper & Chorizo Soup
- Mixed Tomato Chutney
- Spicy Baby Tomato & Sweet Pepper Chutney
- Broccoli & Tomato Quiche
- Easy Tomato & Bacon Tarte
- Puff Pastry Tomato Tarte with Pesto
- Fresh Tomato Sauce (Italian Style with fresh or frozen tomatoes)
I’m sure you’ll love this Roasted Tomato & Garlic Soup so be sure to leave a comment below or you can share your soup by tagging @FabFood4All on social media!
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Roasted Tomato & Garlic Soup
Equipment
- Roasting tray
- spatula
- Large saucepan
- Measuring jug
- Hand blender
- Wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg vine ripened tomatoes cut into 6 segments (leave whole for cherry tomatoes)
- 2 bulbs garlic cut in half
- 6 tablespoon olive oil
- 900 ml vegetable stock good quality
- 1 handful fresh basil leaves (or to taste)
- Freshly ground salt & pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C.
- Place tomato segments and garlic on a baking tray and drizzle with the olive oil and season.
- Turn the tomatoes over with a spatula to coat in the oil.
- After 30 minutes give the tomatoes another turn with a spatula.
- Once roasted allow the tomatoes and garlic to cool enough so that you can squeeze out the garlic cloves from their skins.
- Place the tomatoes and garlic into a large saucepan.
- Blitz with a handheld blender to desired consistency, chunky or smooth, you decide (or use a blender).
- Stir in 900 ml of hot vegetable stock and freshly chop the basil and add.
- Gently heat to serving temperature (do not boil) and adjust seasoning if necessary.
- Serve with cheesy bread.
Susan
This sounds wonderful…..
Question: the roasted garlic skins are removed. Are the tomato skins left on and mixed in with the soup?
Camilla
Hi Susan, yes the tomato skins are left on and blended.
Hanna Long
I am going to try this today 🙂
Camilla
Awesome, do let me know what you think of it:-)
Chloe
There is no better combination of flavours than tomato, garlic and basil – this sounds delicious!
Camilla
You’re not wrong Chloe:-)
Cat
I only eat homemade soup, so much nicer than anything you can buy. Love the tomato and garlic together, this will be a favourite in my house.
Camilla
Thanks Cat, I’m sure you’ll love it and in your new oven!