Roasted Tomato Basil Soup (Printable)

Luxurious Italian soup with oven-roasted tomatoes, garlic, and fresh basil blended into silky comfort.

# What You'll Need:

→ Roasted Vegetables

01 - 3.3 pounds 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

# How to Make It:

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

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The oven does most of the work while you relax, and the roasting concentrates all the tomato flavor into something genuinely luxurious.
  • It tastes exactly like the kind of soup you'd order at a nice restaurant, but costs a fraction of the price and takes less than an hour.
  • You can make it vegan or dairy-free without losing any of that silky, comforting richness.
02 -
  • Don't blend the soup until it's cooled slightly, because steam can force the lid off a blender and splash hot soup everywhere—a lesson I learned the hard way.
  • The roasting time is everything; if you skip this step and just simmer tomatoes in broth, you'll end up with watery soup instead of the concentrated, caramelized version that tastes like real food.
03 -
  • Buy tomatoes at the peak of their season when they're deeply fragrant, because no amount of roasting can create flavor that wasn't there to begin with.
  • Save the leftover basil stems by freezing them in olive oil for future soups and sauces instead of throwing them away.
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