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Roasted tomato soup is what I make when it’s grey outside and I want the apartment to smell like something. Three pounds of tomatoes, a red pepper, a whole onion and two bulbs of garlic go on one sheet pan, into a hot oven, and come out blistered and sweet. Then it all goes in the blender.
That’s genuinely it. The oven does the work. You’re hands-on for maybe fifteen minutes of a sixty-five minute recipe, and what comes out tastes like you fussed over it all afternoon.
And it would be a crime to serve it without a grilled cheese. Mine is sourdough with garlic-basil mayo on the inside, cheddar and provolone, butter on the outside for the crust.
Why Roasting Is the Whole Trick
Most tomato soup recipes start on the stovetop with canned tomatoes. This one doesn’t, and that’s the difference.
- Roasting concentrates everything. Water cooks off, sugars caramelize, and three pounds of tomatoes reduce down into something much more intense than they started out.
- The blistered skins are flavour. Those dark, split, slightly charred edges go straight into the blender. Don’t pick anything off the pan.
- Two bulbs of garlic sounds like a lot. Roasted, it isn’t sharp at all — it turns sweet and almost jammy, and it melts into the background.
- The red pepper is doing quiet work. It adds sweetness and body, and it’s the reason the colour comes out so deep.
- Fresh herbs go in at the end. Chopped and stirred into the finished pot, not roasted. Roasted herbs go dusty; fresh ones stay bright.
Ingredient Notes
Here’s everything that goes into the soup, with a few notes on what matters and what doesn’t.
- Tomatoes: Whatever looks good. I used a mix of red and orange heirlooms because that’s what I had, and the mix gives you a prettier colour. You want about 3 pounds total.
- Red bell pepper: Not optional in my version. It rounds out the acidity and deepens the colour.
- Garlic: Two bulbs, peeled. Roasting takes all the harshness out.
- Parmesan and mozzarella: A quarter cup of each. The Parmesan brings the salt and the savoury edge, the mozzarella brings the stretch and the body.
- Heavy cream: Just a quarter cup. Enough to soften the acidity without turning it into a cream soup.
- Basil, thyme and rosemary: All fresh, all chopped, all stirred in at the end. Rosemary is the strong one, so go easy if you’re unsure.
The Garlic Grilled Cheese
This is not a regular grilled cheese, and the difference is one small thing: there’s a garlic-basil mayonnaise going on the inside of the bread.
Mayo mixed with chopped garlic, fresh basil and Italian seasoning, spread on the inside of both slices. Then cheddar and provolone, then butter on the outside — that’s what gives you the crust. People put mayo on the outside for browning; I’d rather have the garlic on the inside where you taste it and let butter do what butter does.
Sourdough, because it holds up. A soft sandwich bread will go limp the second it meets the soup.
How to Make Roasted Tomato Soup
Make it with me.
- Heat the oven to 400°F.
- Prep everything. Quarter the tomatoes, core and quarter the red pepper, peel and quarter the onion, peel the garlic.
- Season and roast. Spread it all on a sheet pan, toss with the olive oil and 2 teaspoons of salt, and roast for 40 to 45 minutes — until the tomato skins blister and split.
- Let it cool for about 10 minutes. Hot liquid in a blender is how you end up wearing your soup.
- Blend until completely smooth, pan juices and all.
- Finish in the pot. Over low heat, stir in the Parmesan, mozzarella, cream, the last teaspoon of salt, the black pepper and all the chopped herbs. Stir until the cheese melts.
Chef’s Kiss
My Best Tomato Soup Tips
- Don’t crowd the pan. If the tomatoes are piled up they steam instead of roasting, and you lose the whole point. Use two pans if you need to.
- Scrape everything in. The sticky, caramelized bits on the sheet pan are the best part. Add a splash of water to the hot pan and scrape if you need to.
- Taste before you salt again. Parmesan is salty and roasting concentrates what’s already there.
- Blend longer than feels necessary. Another thirty seconds is the difference between good and silky.
- Keep the heat low at the end. Once the cheese and cream go in, don’t let it boil or it can split.
Serving Ideas
The grilled cheese is the obvious answer, but a few others I come back to.
- Something for dipping: my roasted garlic cheesy bread if you want to go further than a sandwich.
- A sharp salad: this soup is rich, and a kale Caesar cuts straight through it.
- Cornbread: not traditional with tomato soup, but my honey butter cornbread next to a bowl of this is extremely good and I’ll defend it.
Recipe FAQs
Can I use canned tomatoes?
You can, but you lose the roasting, which is the entire point of this recipe. If you’re going to, use two 28-ounce cans of whole San Marzanos, drain them, and still roast them with the pepper, onion and garlic — you’ll get closer.
Is two bulbs of garlic really right?
Yes. Roasted garlic is nothing like raw garlic — it goes sweet and soft and disappears into the soup. If you’re still nervous, use one bulb the first time and see what you think.
My soup is too acidic. What do I do?
Tomatoes vary. A pinch of sugar fixes it, or another splash of cream. Roasting longer helps too — underroasted tomatoes are usually the culprit.
Can I make it dairy free?
Leave out the cheese and swap the cream for full-fat coconut milk or a cashew cream. You’ll lose the savoury depth from the Parmesan, so add a little extra salt and a splash of balsamic.
Does this freeze?
Very well — up to 3 months. If anything, freeze it before adding the cream and cheese, then stir those in when you reheat. The texture stays smoother that way.
Storage and Make Ahead
This is a good Sunday recipe precisely because it keeps.
- Storage: Airtight in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It’s genuinely better on day two once the flavours settle.
- Reheating: Low and slow on the stovetop, stirring. Don’t blast it in the microwave — the cream and cheese can split.
- Freezing: Up to 3 months. Freeze it before the cream and cheese go in if you can, and finish it when you reheat.
- Make ahead: You can roast and blend the base a day or two early, keep it in the fridge, and finish the pot in five minutes when you want it.
More Cozy Soups
Roasted Tomato Soup with Garlic Grilled Cheese
Ingredients
For the Soup
- 3 pound mixed heirloom tomatoes quartered
- 1 red bell pepper cored and quartered
- 1 yellow onion peeled and quartered
- 2 bulb garlic peeled
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoon salt for roasting
- 1/4 cup Parmesan freshly grated
- 1/4 cup mozzarella shredded
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon salt for finishing
- 2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoon fresh basil chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary chopped
For the Garlic Grilled Cheese
- 2 slice sourdough bread
- 3 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil chopped
- 2 clove garlic finely chopped
- 2 slice sharp cheddar
- 2 slice provolone
- 2 tablespoon butter for the outside
Instructions
For the Soup
- Heat the oven. Preheat to 400°F.
- Prep everything. Quarter the tomatoes, core and quarter the red pepper, peel and quarter the onion, and peel the garlic cloves.
- Season and roast. Spread everything on a sheet pan, toss with the olive oil and 2 teaspoons of salt, and roast for 40 to 45 minutes — until the tomato skins blister and split and the edges start to catch colour.
- Let it cool a little. Give the pan 10 minutes or so. Hot liquid and a blender are a bad combination.
- Blend smooth. Blend everything on the pan — juices included, that’s where the flavour is — until completely smooth. An immersion blender or a standing blender both work.
- Finish the soup. Pour into a pot over low heat and stir in the Parmesan, mozzarella, heavy cream, the remaining teaspoon of salt, the black pepper, and the chopped basil, thyme and rosemary. Stir until the cheese melts and it comes together.
For the Garlic Grilled Cheese
- Make the garlic mayo. Mix the mayonnaise, Italian seasoning, chopped basil and chopped garlic together in a small bowl.
- Build it. Spread the garlic mayo on the inside of both slices of sourdough, then layer the cheddar and provolone between them.
- Butter the outside. Spread the butter across the outside of both slices — this is what gives you the crust.
- Toast. Cook in a skillet over medium heat until deeply golden on both sides and the cheese has melted through. Cut on the diagonal and take it straight to the soup.
Notes
- Use whatever tomatoes you have: I used a mix of red and orange heirlooms, but this works with whatever looks good. You want about 3 pounds total.
- Two bulbs of garlic is not a typo: Roasting mellows it completely — it turns sweet and jammy rather than sharp. If you are nervous, start with one.
- Do not skip the pan juices: Everything that collects on the sheet pan goes into the blender. That is the concentrated flavour.
- Herbs go in at the end: Chopped and stirred into the finished soup, not roasted. They stay bright that way.
- Mayo inside, butter outside: The mayo carries the garlic and basil into the sandwich; the butter is what browns the crust.
- Storage: The soup keeps in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and freezes for up to 3 months. It is genuinely better on day two. Reheat gently on the stove.
