Slow-roasted tomatoes blended into a silky, deeply concentrated soup with a swirl of basil oil — comfort food that tastes restaurant-grade.
The secret to great tomato soup is to roast the tomatoes first — concentrating their flavour, caramelising their sugars and burning off the watery character that defines mediocre tomato soup. The whole dish is built on this single technique. The result is silky, deeply flavoured, and worthy of a dinner party — yet just as fast as opening a tin.
Serves 4
Place tomatoes cut-side up on a tray. Add the quartered onions and the garlic head (whole, top sliced off to expose cloves). Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Roast at 200°C / 400°F for 40-45 minutes — until the tomatoes are deeply caramelised at the edges and the garlic is soft and golden when squeezed. The smell is intoxicating.
Blanch the basil leaves in boiling water for 10 seconds, plunge into ice water. Squeeze dry. Blend with the extra-virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt until smooth and bright green. Strain through a coffee filter for a clean basil-coloured oil.
Squeeze the soft garlic cloves out of their skins into a blender. Add the roasted tomatoes (skins and all) and onions. Pour in the warm stock. Blend until completely silky-smooth — about 90 seconds.
Pour through a fine sieve into a clean pot for an extra-silky texture (or skip for a more rustic soup). Stir in the cream, sugar, smoked paprika and a generous crack of pepper. Heat gently — DO NOT BOIL. Taste and adjust.
Ladle into warm bowls. Drizzle with basil oil and an extra few drops of cream for swirl. Top with fresh basil leaves. Serve with grilled cheese sandwiches or crusty bread.
Roasting is the entire dish — don't skip or shortcut.
A pinch of sugar balances tomato acidity — non-negotiable.
For dairy-free: substitute coconut cream — slightly different but excellent.
Tomato Bisque: add 60ml white wine in step 5; double the cream.
Spicy Variation: add 1 tsp red pepper flakes during roasting.
Indian Twist: add 1 tsp ground cumin + 1 tsp coriander; finish with a dollop of yogurt.
Tomato-Red-Pepper Soup: substitute 2 roasted red peppers for half the tomatoes.
Refrigerate up to 5 days. Freezes excellently for 3 months — freeze before adding cream.
Cream of tomato soup as a category dates back to 19th-century French cuisine and was popularised in mid-20th-century America by Campbell's Soup Company. Roasted-tomato soup is a relatively modern restaurant innovation that highlights the technique's transformative effect on flavour.
Roasting concentrates the flavour by removing water, caramelises the natural sugars, and develops umami compounds through Maillard reactions. The difference between roasted-tomato soup and boiled-tomato soup is dramatic — the former tastes restaurant-grade, the latter tastes from a tin.
Yes in winter — use 2 × 800g cans of good quality whole peeled tomatoes (San Marzano if possible), drained. Roast at the same temperature for 30 minutes. Fresh ripe tomatoes in summer are noticeably better, but canned San Marzanos in winter are excellent.
Most likely under-seasoned. Tomato soup needs more salt than you'd expect — a generous teaspoon at minimum. The pinch of sugar to balance acidity is also non-negotiable; without it, the soup tastes 'sharp.'
Yes — substitute coconut cream (full-fat) for the dairy cream. The soup will be slightly sweeter with a subtle coconut note, but excellent. Cashew cream is another option for a more neutral dairy-free finish.
Per serving (380g / 13.4 oz) · 4 servings total
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