The moment this roasted tomato soup comes out of the blender, your kitchen smells like late summer: jammy, blistered tomatoes, sweet caramelized shallots, a whole head of roasted garlic gone soft and nutty. It blends into the most luscious, velvety, and deeply savory soup. Then comes the best part: crispy, golden Gruyère grilled cheese croutons floating on top, melting into every bite.
Featured Reader Review
Brooke said, “A beautifully simple comfort food. Just a handful of fresh ingredients that speak for themselves. I followed the recipe precisely but added a bit of parm to serve. The grilled cheese croutons are a must!”
It’s the tomato soup and grilled cheese you grew up on, made the way a chef would. And it’s one of my favorite cozy, chef-tested soups to make at home because the oven does nearly all the work. 🙌🏻 Roast everything on a sheet pan, blend, and you’re done.
If needed, it’s also easy to adapt to make dairy-free or gluten-free.
Quick Ingredient Overview
- Garlic: Use one or two whole heads, depending on how garlicky you like it. Roasting softens the sharp bite and brings out a sweet, buttery flavor.
- Broth (optional): If you like a thinner soup, add a splash of vegetable or chicken broth (I often have a batch of my homemade chicken broth in the fridge). But honestly, I usually skip it and let the tomatoes speak for themselves.
- Heavy cream: I love the texture this creates, but if you’re dairy-free, try canned coconut milk! I use this all the time in soups.
Roast Tomatoes, Then Blend or Purée
Just be sure that everything is in a single layer on the sheet pan. Crowded tomatoes steam, and we’re looking for a caramelized, roasted flavor.
Blend until completely smooth, then finish with heavy cream. Taste and adjusting seasoning, adding kosher salt or black pepper to taste.
A Note On Texture
A few readers have found small stringy bits in their soup. That comes from tomato skins and cores that didn’t fully break down. Blend for a full 60-90 seconds on high. For a truly smooth soup (like you’d expect in a restaurant), pass it through a fine-mesh strainer. It only takes two minutes and is well worth it.
Make The Grilled Cheese Croutons
In my humble opinion, the croutons are what make this roasted tomato soup recipe so memorable!
The trick is to cover the pan. A lid (it doesn’t need to fit tightly!) traps steam so the cheese melts all the way through before the bread over-browns. Cook for a few minutes, flip, then continue cooking until deeply golden. After a few minutes, cut into bite-size croutons.
What To Serve With It
This soup makes a satisfying dinner on its own, but for a fuller spread I’ll add my go-to peppery, 5-minute arugula salad with Parmesan to cut through the richness. If you’re skipping the croutons, serve it with a pan of buttery Parmesan pull-apart rolls for dunking.
#1 Tip: Cool Slightly Before Blending!
Let the roasted veggies cool for a few minutes before using a countertop blender. Remove the center cap from the lid and cover the opening with a folded towel so steam can escape. An immersion blender skips this step entirely.
But what you don’t want to have happen is for the steam to build up and the pressure to cause your lid to pop off! Trust me, it’s the most difficult mess to clean up.
If this roasted tomato soup brought a little extra coziness to your table, please leave a star rating and a quick review blow. I hope your family loves this as much as mine does!
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Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
For the tomato soup
- 3 lbs mixed fresh tomatoes halved, if larger than 1 inch
- 4 medium shallots peeled and halved
- 3 Tbsp (45ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1-2 heads garlic use 1 head if large or 2 if small
- 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves plus more for serving
- ½-1 cup (120ml) vegetable broth or low-sodium chicken stock
- ½ cup (120ml) heavy cream plus more for serving
For the grilled cheese croutons
- 4 slices whole grain bread
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 ½ – 2 cups Gruyere shredded
- 1 tsp granulated garlic
- 4-6 fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Prep the tomatoes. Preheat an oven to 425°F / 220°C. Place halved tomatoes and shallots in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 3 Tbsp (45ml) olive oil, then season with 1 tsp Kosher salt and ¼ tsp black pepper.
- Wrap the garlic. Remove the papery outer layers of the heads of garlic, but leave the individual garlic cloves wrapped. Use a sharp knife to slice off ¼-½” off the top of each head of garlic. Place each in a small square of aluminum foil, then drizzle with a little olive oil. Wrap the foil tightly around each garlic head, then place on the baking sheet along with the tomatoes.
- Roast the tomatoes. Place in the oven, cook for 35-40 minutes, then cool slightly. Transfer the tomatoes and shallots to a blender or large soup pot (if using an immersion blender). Carefully unwrap the roasted garlic, then either squeeze the cloves out or use a small fork to remove from their skin. Add to the blender or soup pot.
- Add remaining ingredients, then blend. Add 1 cup packed basil leaves (and stock, if using). Blend on high for 60-90 seconds until completely smooth. Strain through a fine mesh sieve for an extra-silky soup, if desired. Stir or blend in ½ cup (120ml) heavy cream, then taste and adjust seasoning.
- Make the grilled cheese croutons. Butter one side of each slice of bread and sprinkle lightly with granulated garlic. Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Place two slices butter-side down in the pan, top evenly with grated Gruyère, and scatter basil leaves over the cheese. Top with remaining bread slices, butter-side up. Cover and cook for 3 minutes, then flip, cover again, and cook 2–3 minutes more, until golden and fully melted. Transfer to a cutting board, cool slightly, then cut into ½-inch croutons.
- Assemble, then serve. Spoon the roasted tomato soup into bowls, then drizzle each with about 1-2 tsp of heavy cream. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, then top each bowl with grilled cheese croutons. Serve immediately!
Notes
- Nutrition note: Nutrition facts exclude optional garnishes (except grilled cheese croutons).
- Optional stock: Add ½–1 cup chicken stock for a thinner soup, though we prefer it without added broth.
- Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Store croutons separately; they’re best made fresh.
- Freeze: Cool completely and freeze for up to 3 months. Leave out the cream if freezing, then stir it in after reheating.
- Reheat: Warm in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, or reheat from frozen over low heat.
Delicious! The flavour was so good and it was so simple to make. The grilled cheese croutons too are genius.
(Review provided by an employee of wellseasonedstudio.com.)
Love the simplicity of this recipe! Thanks, Marie — the croutons are my favorite too! xo, Ari
Made this soup yesterday and it was delicious. So fresh tasting so quality ingredients is key. The croutons with Gruyère is the scene stealer. Unfortunately, I need work on my grilled cheese game but the flavor and texture in the soup is excellent.
Aren’t the grilled cheese croutons SO yummy?! This looks amazing, thanks for sharing, Debbie! xo, Ari
A beautifully simple comfort food. Just a handful of fresh ingredients that speak for themselves. I followed the recipe precisely but added a bit of parm to serve. The grilled cheese croutons are a must!
Oh wow, this looks incredible, Brooke! Love the addition of Parmesan (literally never a bad idea!). Thanks for sharing the photo too! xo, Ari
Amazing cooking and your every dish looks soo delicious. thanks.
Glad you’re enjoying! Cheers, Ari
Made this for my mom, she loved it!!
The flavor was really good, the only problem was that there were stringy bits in the soup, probably just an error on my part. Other than that it was amazing!!
A bowl of roasted tomato soup with croutons sits next to a ham and cheese sandwich on a colorful plate.
It looks fantastic, Julianna! Would be thrilled if my kiddos made this one for me. Thanks so much for sharing a photo!