Roasted Tomato Basil Soup (Printable)

Rich and silky Italian-style soup with caramelized roasted tomatoes, aromatic garlic, and fresh basil for ultimate comfort.

# Required Ingredients:

→ Roasted Vegetables

01 - 3.3 lbs ripe tomatoes, halved
02 - 1 large yellow onion, quartered
03 - 6 cloves garlic, peeled
04 - 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
05 - 1 teaspoon kosher salt
06 - 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

→ Soup Base

07 - 2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
08 - 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
09 - 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, optional
10 - 1 teaspoon sugar, optional

→ Garnish

11 - 1/4 cup heavy cream or crème fraîche, optional
12 - Fresh basil leaves for garnish
13 - Croutons or toasted bread, optional

# Preparation Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - Arrange halved tomatoes, onion quarters, and garlic cloves on prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat evenly.
03 - Roast for 35 to 40 minutes until tomatoes are caramelized and onions are tender.
04 - Transfer roasted vegetables and any pan juices to a large pot. Add vegetable broth and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
05 - Stir in fresh basil leaves, butter, and sugar if using. Simmer for 5 minutes to meld flavors.
06 - Use an immersion blender to puree soup until smooth. Alternatively, blend in batches using a countertop blender and return to pot.
07 - Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. For a silkier texture, strain soup through a fine sieve.
08 - Serve hot, drizzled with cream and garnished with fresh basil leaves and croutons or toasted bread if desired.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The roasting step does all the heavy lifting—you get depth and richness without any fancy technique.
  • It's one of those soups that tastes restaurant-quality but comes together in just over an hour, making you feel like you actually know what you're doing.
  • Fresh basil stirred in at the end smells so good you'll want to make this just for that moment.
02 -
  • Don't skip the roasting step or rush it—that 35–40 minutes is when all the tomato flavor concentrates and deepens into something that tastes nothing like raw tomato soup.
  • If your soup tastes flat after blending, it's almost always because you need either a pinch more salt or a tiny bit of that optional sugar to balance the acidity—taste as you go.
03 -
  • Save every drop of juice from the roasting pan and scrape up the browned bits stuck to the sheet—that's concentrated flavor you don't want to waste.
  • If you don't have an immersion blender, a countertop blender works just as well; just blend in smaller batches and let the liquid cool slightly first.
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