Made with fresh ingredients, this roasted tomato soup with basil is a lovely way to use up a glut of ripe tomatoes. Onions and garlic are roasted alongside juicy ripe tomatoes until soft and golden. Roasting brings out the most intense flavours, making this soup sweet, rich and very tasty.
Soup is an excellent way of using up a glut of ripe tomatoes and what goes hand in hand with tomatoes? Basil of course. They were made for each other! Add in some sweet roasted onion and garlic and you have a deliciously light and flavoursome soup.
Roasting the tomatoes brings out a lovely sweetness, not to mention the gorgeous smell that will fill your kitchen. Perfect for the end of Summer this soup is great served with some homemade sourdough croutons or some soda bread.
Here's What You'll Need
- Tomatoes - ripe fresh tomatoes are best for this recipe, I use tomatoes on the vine. You add in a mix of cherry/grape tomatoes too if you what.
- Onion - I use a large brown onion for this soup but red onions work well too, they will add a little more sweetness to your soup.
- Stock - to keep this soup vegan I use a vegan vegetable bouillon. You can also use stock cubes or make your own vegetable stock if you have time.
How To Make It
This is just a quick visual guide. Please see the recipe card below for full instructions and ingredient list.
1. Drizzle some olive oil over the tomatoes, onion and garlic. Season with salt and pepper then roast until soft and slightly tinged at the edges.
2. Transfer the tomatoes and onion to a large saucepan. Carefully remove the garlic from its skin and add that to the saucepan as well. I add most of the juice from the tray to the pan too.
3. Add the hot stock to the saucepan along with the tomato puree (paste) balsamic vinegar and brown sugar, season with salt and pepper then bring to a boil. Reduce to a slow simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
4. Blend the soup with a handheld blender check the seasoning then stir in the fresh basil.
Recipe Tips
- Balsamic vinegar and soft brown sugar balance the acidity of the tomatoes so please don't skip these. You could sprinkle the brown sugar onto the tomatoes before roasting them, this works really well too in balancing the acidity.
- This is a light summery soup so deliberately not thick, however, if you want a thicker creamier soup you could stir in some double cream. You could also add a chopped floury potato to the soup while it's simmering, this will keep the soup vegan but will make it thicker once blended.
- This soup is great hot but it's good cold too, and it's even tastier the next day! So if you do have time to make it ahead I recommend doing that.
- Add-ins - chickpeas, butterbeans, or cannellini beans are great in this soup! Just add them after you have blended the soup and heat until the beans are cooked through. I sometimes add some dried red chilli flakes to this when it's cooking which is really good too!
This is such a great budget-friendly soup. It's perfect for lunch or a light supper and the kids will love it too. We love this on its own with some good bread or with a grilled cheese sandwich. It's also really good alongside my halloumi and grilled veg sandwich for a more substantial meal.
Looking for more tasty soup recipes? Here are some of our favourites:
- Easy Tofu Laksa - A spicy and creamy soup with rice noodles and crispy tofu this soup is delicious! Great for a tasty vegan lunch or dinner.
- Spicy Tomato Soup with Lentils - This soup is one of my all-time favourite soups. It’s so easy to make and ready in 3o minutes! Perfect for lunch or a light dinner.
- Spiced Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup - With just a few ingredients you can have this delicious, warmly spiced, Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup on the table in no time! It’s very easy to make, tasty, filling and vegan too!
- Spicy Cauliflower Soup - A rich and creamy cauliflower soup that will keep you warm and satisfied. Easy to make and ready in under 30 minutes this soup is also vegan & gluten-free.
Finally, if you make this Roasted Tomato Basil Soup be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating! I love to hear from you and will try to respond to each and every one of your comments. And if you do make this don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! I really love seeing your photos of my recipes!
Roasted Tomato Soup with Basil
Ingredients
- 1 Kg (about 8 large) ripe tomatoes cut in half
- 8 cloves of garlic left whole with the skin on.
- 1 large brown onion outer skin removed then cut into wedges of eights
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp sea salt + more for seasoning
- ¼ tsp cracked black pepper + more for seasoning
- ½ tbsp balsamic vinegar
- ½ tsp soft brown sugar
- 2 tbsp tomato puree (paste)
- 700 ml (about 3 ⅛ cups of) hot vegetable stock made using vegan vegetable bouillon and boiling water
- A large handful of fresh basil leaves roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C(350F) fan oven 200°C (390°F) conventional oven. Place the tomatoes, onion and garlic on a large baking tray. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil over everything and gently toss everything to coat. Sprinkle the sea salt and freshly ground black pepper over the tomatoes and onions then roast in the oven for around 20 minutes or until the tomatoes are slightly charred at the edges.
- Once ready spoon the tomatoes into a large saucepan. Remove the skins from the garlic and any crispy skin from the onions then add them to the saucepan along with the juices from the tray. Add half a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, half a teaspoon of soft brown sugar and 2 tablespoons of tomato puree (paste).Stir well then pour in the stock, season with salt and pepper and stir well.Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Use a handheld blender to blitz the soup. When the soup is smooth check the seasoning then stir in the basil.
- To serve, drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil over the soup and serve with croutons or bread.
Notes
- Balsamic vinegar and soft brown sugar balance the acidity of the tomatoes so please don’t skip these. You could sprinkle the brown sugar onto the tomatoes before roasting them this works really well too to balance the acidity.
- This soup is a light summery soup it is deliberately not thick, however, if you want a thicker creamier soup you could stir in some double cream to make it creamier. You could also add a chopped floury potato to the soup while it’s simmering, this will keep the soup vegan but will make it thicker.
- This soup is great hot but it’s good cold too, and it’s even tastier the next day! So if you do have time to make it ahead I recommend doing that.
- Add-ins – chickpeas, butterbeans or cannellini beans are great in this soup! Just add then after you have blended the soup and heat the soup until the beans are heated through. I sometimes add some dried red chilli flakes to this when it’s cooking which is really good too
- Storing/Reheating/Freezing - Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. You can reheat the soup on the hob or in the microwave. This soup is suitable for freezing. Don't add the basil, blend the soup then leave to cool. Transfer to a freezer-friendly bag or container and keep in the freezer for 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight then reheat on the hob adding the basil when it's ready to serve.
- Nutritional Information - is calculated using an online nutrition tool and is approximate. It is based on one serving of 6.
- Weights and measurements - For US readers, I use Cuisipro measuring cups and spoons, and a Pyrex measuring jug for liquids. These are the industry standard. Cup/spoon volumes can differ from brand to brand, for accuracy, I recommend weighing all ingredients if possible for best results.
Nutrition
*This recipe was first published in Aug 2017. Updated August 2021 with new photos, step by step guide and nutritional information.
Nothing is better than homemade tomato soup except roasted homemade tomato soup. This sounds fantastic!
Thank you Ginny x And you are so right, homemade soup is the best!
You are so talented, i could stare at these photos all day ~ sharing!
Sue, you are so kind!! Thank you so much x
Nothing is better than a good soup when it gets cold outside. I've tried a tomato bisque last time, and I have craved it ever since. Thanks for the recipe.
Totally agree Calleigh, I look forward to Autumn just so I can make soup 😉
This sounds simply delicious, your photos are gorgeous!
Thank you so much Emily 🙂
This looks so lovely, I love the sweetness that roasting adds to tomatoes, it's perfect in a soup
Thank you so much Amy 🙂
One of my favorite flavor combinations ♥♥♥ Pictures are outstanding... found myself reaching for the spoon 🙂 Thanks for sharing. Pinned to try.
Thank you so much Maria, that is so kind of you x
Tomato and basil is such a wonderful combination. I love it when you re-discover flavours.
It's the best! I think sometimes I forget the simple stuff, which is of course always the best 😉