There I was – I had a bunch of beautiful heirloom tomatoes I’d bought at the farmer’s market. I was intending to make tomato pie for a friend, but I got cancelled on. No worries, I’ll make it for a different friend later in the week…who later also cancelled. There is NO WAY I could make an entire tomato pie and have it in the house without devouring it and the 23,000 calories that go with it (which might be a slight exaggeration…). But I needed a healthier alternative to use up these delicious perfect fruits that I had in the house. (Tomatoes grow from a flower and have seeds == Fruit). Then it came to me ! Roasted heirloom tomato soup would be super easy to make…
What else goes with roasted heirloom tomato soup?
Last time I made this soup it was because I had a gorgeous new fresh loaf of homemade sourdough bread, a bunch of cheeses – and what else would I feed the hubster? Naturally I had to make him some roasted heirloom tomato soup to go with the perfect grilled cheese.
This time – I didn’t have any fresh bread (I am trying to be thinner) but I did have some excellent homemade croutons. You can see that recipe here. It also helps if you have some fresh basil. Then you can have as much soup as you want and consume not too many calories.
Or you could venture out and make (or purchase) some homemade sourdough and have tomato soup and grilled cheese…. I will eventually get a sourdough recipe posted… I killed my sourdough starter earlier this year and haven’t made / borrowed more quite yet.
What about using any other kind of tomatoes ?
Yes! Of course – you can use any kind of tomatoes that you have on hand. And, roasting tomatoes is one of my “secrets” to using up tomatoes that are not going to be fresh for much longer – and even roasting those tomatoes that are not fresh enough to serve anymore.
Dimpled but not rotten tomatoes also roast up perfectly. Just make sure, obviously, the tomatoes you use have not begun to mold. Mold == Compost.
What else do I need to make roasted heirloom tomato soup?
We already discussed the grilled cheese…ha. What you really need is a fairly simple list. Tomatoes, whatever kind you have, garlic, onion, vegetable or chicken broth, some cream or half and half and an immersion blender. All of which are pretty basic items. You may already have all those items on hand?
Can I roast up the tomatoes the day before?
Yes ! You can roast up the tomatoes a day before, 2 days before, way ahead of time and freeze them etc. Sometimes if I have tomatoes that aren’t fresh enough for salads I’ll roast them up and toss them into the freezer. Next time I’m making something that calls for a can of tomatoes etc – I can thaw the roasted tomatoes and substitute. It’s a great plan for saving money and keeping food out of the compost / landfills.
I roasted my tomatoes the day before – so that it would be a quick and easy meal prep the next day. It only took about 20 minutes to make the soup – if the tomatoes are already roasted.
You can roast the tomatoes while zoning out late after dinner – while watching TV or scrolling IG / FB etc. Just toss them into a bowl and the fridge when done!
Easy Roasted Heirloom Tomato Soup
Equipment
- Immersion Blender – One of my most favorite kitchen tools
- Baking Tray – Half sheet pan
- Parchment Paper – Easier clean up
Ingredients
Roasting Ingredients
- 4 Lb Heirloom Tomatoes – Chopped similar sizes
- 6 Garlic Cloves – Unpeeled (leave skin on)
- 2-3 Tbl Olive Oil
- ½ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Pepper
Soup Preparation
- 1 Onion – Diced
- 1-2 Tbl Oregano – Fresh
- 1-2 Tbl Basil – Fresh
- 2 tsp Sugar
- 3 C Chicken stock – or Vegetable Stock
- ½ Half and Half – or Heavy Cream (!) or Milk
- S&P – as needed
Soup Garnish
- Basil – additional basil
- Croutons – If you have them
Instructions
Roast the Tomatoes – Can be done ahead of time
- Preheat the oven to 350℉.
- Crinkle and place parchment onto your sheet pan to ease clean up.
- Cut and place tomatoes onto the sheet pan.
- Separate garlic cloves from the head and place 5-7 (or more) garlic cloves onto the sheet pan with the tomatoes – in the skin. (As the garlic roasts it will mellow out and will turn sweet and nutty.)
- Sprinkle the tomatoes and garlic with S&P and EVOO. Use less oil – and then use your hands to mix up the tomatoes – it will be quicker and easier than trying to use a spoon and stay clean… 😉
- Place tomatoes and garlic into the oven for an hour – or more – depending on how big your cut tomatoes are. I did about 1 hr and a half.
- If roasting ahead of time – dump contents into a bowl and store in fridge for a day or two or three. Else place in the freezer.
Make the Soup
- Dice the onion, clean and prep the oregano and the basil.
- Get out your soup pot – and put some EVOO in the bottom – and warm up.
- Put the onion into the pot and add some S&P. Saute for about 5-7 minutes till the onion is soft.
- Squeeze the roasted garlic out of the garlic skin.
- Add the roasted tomatoes, garlic, herbs, sugar, and stock to the onions and cook till warm and fairly integrated.
- Puree the soup in the pot using your immersion blender – or puree the soup in a traditional blender, in batches.
- Add the cream or half and half – and check the seasoning and adjust as necessary. You can use milk in a pinch, but your soup may not be as thick and creamy as you'd like.
- Serve delicious fresh and easy roasted tomato soup to your friends and family.
- Garnish with basil and croutons
