Most tomato soups are made with canned tomatoes—very few feature as much depth and nuance as this Roasted Tomato Garlic Soup. Each component—the tomatoes, onions and garlic—gets roasted to concentrate and enhance their natural flavors. And for even more flavor, a dash of oregano and smoked paprika is added to boost flavor without taking over. A simple yet elevated soup for any night of the week.
I’ve been developing soup recipes for years, it’s one of my favorite types of recipes to work on. And tomato soups in particular are fun to develop because they’re something everyone recognizes while also being incredibly versatile.
If you’re craving a Mexican-inspired tomato soup, try my Sopa de Fideo. Or for an Italian tomato soup with basil, spinach and balsamic, try this Tomato Florentine Soup. The options are truly endless when it comes to tomato soup, and this Roasted Garlic Tomato Soup is no exception. Make it as-written a few times then play around with the herbs and spices. The roasted flavors are simply a great base for just about any flavors.
The Beauty of a Roasted Tomato Soup
- Hands-off cooking: all of the cooking of this soup is done in the oven. After blending, the soup is heated on the stove top just to bring the soup up to temperature.
- More flavor: roasting concentrates flavor so this tomato soup is more flavorful than a traditional tomato soup made with canned tomatoes.
- Versatile: use this recipe as a guide and make it your own. Play around with different herbs and spices, add pasta, beans or only partially puree for a chunkier soup.
- 45-minute recipe: this soup is low on prep work and cooks quickly. Simply cut the tomatoes and onion into chunks and the prep work is done.
Ingredients Needed
- Roma tomatoes: you’ll need 1 ½ pounds, which is 8–10 roma tomatoes. You can use vine ripe tomatoes, but they will be a bit more watery and won’t brown as much.
- Garlic: you’ll need a whole heat of garlic for this recipe. The garlic gets roasted so instead of a raw garlic bite, this soup will have a sweet caramelized garlic flavor to it.
- Onion: use a yellow or white onion here.
- Olive oil: you’ll need a quarter cup of olive oil here. Use one that’s robust in flavor.
- Spices: kosher salt, red pepper f;akes and smoked paprika are the only spices you need for this soup.
- Broth: you;ll need a couple of cups of broth. Anything goes here—vegetable, chicken or beef broth all work nicely.
- Oregano: fresh or dried work here. Use whatever you prefer—I like fresh but will use dried in a pinch.
- Optional half-and-half, cream or coconut milk: I like to add a bit of half-and-half for a creamier soup. You can totally skip it, or go all in and use heavy cream for a decadent roasted tomato and garlic soup. To keep this dairy-free, use a can of coconut milk.
How Easy it is to Make
Ready to see how easy it is to make? It’s wild how something so delicious can be so simple. FYI, the full recipe with measurements and instructions can be found below in the recipe card.
Start by cutting the onion into wedges, halving the tomatoes and cutting the head of garlic in half. Prep done!
Toss the onions with some olive oil and salt on one sheet pan. Then add the halved head of garlic to the sheet pan and shimmy it around in the olive oil a bit. On a second sheet pan, toss the tomatoes with olive oil and salt.
Roast the onions, garlic and tomatoes until they are starting to brown and softened, this will take a total of 30 minutes.
Transfer the tomatoes and onions to a blender. Let the garlic cool a bit until you can handle it, then squeeze the roasted cloves into the blender along with the broth, oregano, paprika, and pepper flakes.
Blend the soup until smooth—or partially blend if you’d prefer the soup to be slightly chunky.
Add the soup to a pot and heat it just until simmering, stir in the half-and-half then season to taste with additional salt and serve.
Storage and Reheating
Store roasted garlic tomato soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. For longer storage you can freeze the soup for up to 4 months.
If you are making this ahead of time and freezing it, hold off on adding the half-and-half until you are ready to reheat and serve it.
Toppings and How to Serve
I usually keep it pretty simple and top this soup off with some red pepper flakes and tiny oregano leaves. Fresh, raw oregano isn’t for everyone, so you can also top this off with torn fresh basil or chopped fresh parsley.
I also love to serve this soup with grated sharp Cheddar or Parmesan. Croutons, cheesy croutons and ham-cheese toasts all make great toppings or dippers.
To round out the menu and make this a full meal, I will often serve this soup with leftover pan-seared chicken or leftover baked chicken meatballs. And for a simple side salad, pair this with my Cucumber and Greek Yogurt Salad or Fennel Salad.
More Easy Soups to Try
Soups, Stews & Chilis
Chicken and Cabbage Soup
Soups, Stews & Chilis
Chickpea and Kale Soup
Soups, Stews & Chilis
Lemon Chicken and Rice Soup
Soups, Stews & Chilis
Quick Bean and Ham Soup
Roasted Garlic Tomato Soup
Description
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds roma tomatoes
- 1 head garlic, halved crosswise
- 1 yellow onion, cut into wedges
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups vegetable broth, chicken broth or bone broth
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano or 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¾ cup half-and-half, optional
Instructions
- Heat oven to 450ºF (232ºC) with racks set in upper-middle and lower-middle positions.
- Toss onion with 2 tablespoon oil and ½ teaspoon salt on a sheet pan. Place garlic halves, cut side down, on sheet pan. Transfer to upper-middle rack of oven.
- On a second sheet pan, toss tomatoes with 2 tablespoons oil and ½ teaspoon salt. Transfer to lower-middle rack of oven. Roast onions and tomatoes for 15 minutes then rotate sheets and continue roasting until vegetables are softened and starting to brown, about 15 more minutes.
- Remove sheets from oven and let cool slightly. Once garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze roasted cloves out of skins into blender. Scrape onions, tomatoes and their juices into blender along with 2 cups broth, oregano, paprika, and pepper flakes; blend until smooth.
- Transfer to a pot and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Stir in cream and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with grilled cheese, buttery toasted bread, or croutons.
I made the vegan version with the last of the garden tomatoes. So incredibly delicious! Thanks for the recipe!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂