This Roasted Tomato Soup is the king of all soup recipes. It’s comfort in a bowl, and one taste will bring you back to that classic childhood favorite of tomato soup and grilled cheese.
Instead of simmering for hours on a stovetop, we’re making everything in an oven! Perfect for fall and winter, right? You can use any variety of tomatoes you like best, just try to use fresh, ripe tomatoes — they will taste 100x better than unripened tomatoes.
The entire thing gets puréed in a blender with sweet, tender shallots, an abundance of roasted garlic, and lots of fresh basil. Each bite is better than the last!
But the creme de la creme is unquestionably the grilled cheese croutons, which are not to be missed! With a little bit of prep and patience, the perfect Roasted Tomato Soup can be yours! And oh my goodness, we are all kinds of excited for you to try this recipe!!
Ingredients Needed
- Fresh, ripe tomatoes: we recommend using a variety of tomatoes, such as heirloom, plum tomatoes, even tiny grape or cherry tomatoes (you can just roast those whole!). Whatever you can find that’s best and seasonal, go for that.
- Shallots: We prefer the gentle, delicate onion flavor of roasted shallots versus sautéing onions on the stovetop.
- Extra virgin olive oil: This will prevent the tomatoes from burning while roasting.
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper: To season everything
- 1-2 heads of garlic: Depending on how intense of a garlic flavor you’re after, roast 1-2 heads of garlic. Roasting garlic will mellow out the pungent flavor, but intensify the sweet, nutty taste of garlic.
- Low-sodium chicken broth, stock, or vegetable broth: This is an optional add-in to create a thinner base to the tomato soup.
- Fresh basil leaves: Because tomato and basil were meant for each other
- Heavy cream: We love to add a little heavy cream — it gives the soup a velvety smooth texture that is seriously luxurious.
When you’re ready to dive into a bowl of roasted tomato soup, be sure to top it with an extra 1-2 teaspoons of heavy cream (or a high quality extra virgin olive oil), a generous pinch of flaky sea salt, some freshly cracked black pepper, and of course…. grilled cheese! But not just any grilled cheese, we’re making Gruyere grilled cheese croutons!
Roast Tomatoes, Then Blend or Purée
It goes without saying that we’re roasting everything in an oven, right? Grab a large baking sheet, then toss halved tomatoes and shallots with a couple tablespoons of olive oil, Kosher salt, and black pepper. Make sure everything is in a single layer.
Wrap some heads of garlic with a drizzle of EVOO in aluminum foil, then toss that onto the baking sheet, as well. Roast until tender, about 35-40 minutes. Transfer everything directly into a blender (or into a large soup pot, if using an immersion blender), being sure to squeeze out the roasted garlic cloves and discard the garlic skin.
No need to simmer for lengthy periods of time on a stovetop, simply add the remaining soup ingredients (chicken broth and fresh basil) to the tomato mixture, then purée until smooth. Stir (or blend) in some heavy cream, then taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
This roasted tomato soup could not be easier or more delicious. Well, unless you serve it with grilled cheese, which is pretty much mandatory!
Make The Grilled Cheese Croutons
Having a grilled cheese sandwich alongside a bowl of tomato soup is a no brainer. It just works. Please feel free to substitute the bread for gluten-free bread, if that works better for you!
To make the grilled cheese croutons, spread some room temperature butter on 4 slices of whole grain bread. Sprinkle a little garlic powder on each, then preheat your skillet or griddle.
Add 2 slices of buttered bread, butter side down, then top with grated Gruyere and some fresh basil leaves. Place the remaining slices of bread on top, butter side up, then cover with a lid (doesn’t have to be a tight fitting lid, the goal is to steam the cheese). Cook for 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown and the cheese has melted!
Honestly, you could replace the fresh basil leaves with some fresh thyme (Ina Garten’s roasted tomato soup calls for thyme leaves, after all! If it’s good enough for Ina, it’s good enough for me!), but we just can’t get enough tomato basil flavor.
Toppings and Substitutions
Our favorite toppings for soup: Heavy cream or extra virgin olive oil, flaky sea salt, and black pepper! If you don’t have heavy cream, a dollop of sour cream or creme friache is good!
Shaved Parmesan cheese (fresh, please!) and fresh basil leaves are also great additions. But please, oh please, do not leave off the grilled cheese croutons! They make the dish!
Make it dairy-free! Yes! Simply omit the heavy cream entirely or replace with an equal amount of coconut milk or coconut cream. It adds a slightly sweet taste, but is a delicious substitute for most soup recipes that call for small quantities of heavy cream.
Expert Tips
- Roast at high heat! We recommend 425F, but anything above 400F is roasting, while anything below 400F is steaming. Roasting will enhance the sweetness!
- Use fresh, ripe tomatoes! They have the best, sweetest flavor!
- Use a variety of tomatoes: This isn’t really a tip, but just a suggestion that if you’ve got a lot of different types of tomatoes lying around, you can use all of them! Just make sure they’re loosely cut into similar sizes so they roast evenly (or leave them whole, if they’re small, like grape or cherry tomatoes).
- Allow the soup to cool slightly before blending (if using a traditional blender) or use an immersion blender. Otherwise you risk spraying yourself all over with hot soup!
Storage And Freezing
Make ahead! Store leftovers in an airtight container in a fridge for up to 5 days. You can reheat in a microwave, but we prefer to reheat small portions in saucepans on a stove top over medium heat.
Freeze! Allow to cool completely, then store in a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. If making a batch to freeze, we recommend not adding heavy cream until you go to defrost or thaw the soup and reheat it. Add the cream just before serving.
This is hands down the best, most comforting soup we have shared all year! A family classic, for sure!
If you make this Roasted Tomato Soup recipe, please let us know by leaving a review and rating below!
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More soup recipes to try!
Easy, Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup Rich & Creamy Potato Leek Soup (Gluten-Free) Rich, Hearty Green Chicken Chili Soup (Dairy-Free) Rich, Creamy Cauliflower and White Bean Soup (Dairy-Free) Hearty Tomato, White Bean, & Kale Soup Easy, Dairy-Free Beef Barley Soup
Thick, 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 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 cup low-sodium chicken stock or vegetable broth, optional — see note below!
- ½ cup heavy cream plus more for serving
For the grilled cheese croutons
- 4 sliced 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 425F. Place halved tomatoes and shallots in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 3 Tbsp olive oil, then season with 1 tsp Kosher salt and ¼ tsp black pepper.
- Wrap the garlic. Remove the papery outer layers of 2 heads of garlic (or 1, if very large), 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 a preheated oven, then cook for 35-40 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, then 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. To the blender, add 1 cup of packed basil leaves (and stock, if using). Stir or blend in ½ cup heavy cream, then taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Make the grilled cheese croutons. Spread butter in a thin layer on 4 pieces of whole grain bread, then sprinkle each lightly with granulated garlic.Preheat a large griddle or skillet over medium heat, no higher. When hot, place two pieces of bread butter side down on the skillet. Immediately top each with equal amounts of grated Gruyere, being sure to cover as much of the bread as possible. Add a few basil leaves to each, then place the remaining bread slices on top, butter side up. Cover the grilled cheese immediately with a lid. Cook for 3 minutes, then flip. Return the lid and cook an additional 2-3 minutes, until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is fully melted. Transfer grilled cheese to a cutting board, cool slightly, then cut into small, bite-size pieces, about ½” square.
- Assemble, then serve. Spoon the roasted tomato soup into bowls, then drizzle each with about 1-2 teaspoons 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 facts do not include additional garnishes other than grilled cheese croutons.
- Optional chicken stock: you can add ½-1 cup chicken stock to make a thinner soup, but I prefer this recipe with no added broth.
- Freeze: Allow to cool completely, then store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. If making a batch to freeze, we recommend not adding heavy cream until you go to defrost or thaw the soup and reheat it. Add the cream just before serving.
- Reheat: Thaw overnight or place in a saucepan directly from frozen and heat over medium heat until warm.
Delicious! The flavour was so good and it was so simple to make. The grilled cheese croutons too are genius.
Love the simplicity of this recipe! Thanks, Marie — the croutons are my favorite too! xo, Ari