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Roasted Tomato Soup with Lots of Garlic

Roasted tomato soup, a tasty way to use up tomatoes past their best, balsamic vinegar, thyme & lots of garlic add depth to this easy recipe.

When I say lots of garlic, this vegan tomato soup uses two whole heads of garlic, but it is beautifully mellow thanks to it being roasted.

Close up roasted tomato soup with garlic croutons and balsamic vinegar.

Homemade Garlic and Tomato Soup

I love soup, my site is littered with homemade soup recipes, everything from a classic British oxtail soup and spinach and fennel soup to Chinese chicken and sweetcorn soup.

Roasting vegetables before using them in a soup is a classic technique that I use in my curried parsnip soup as well as my roasted carrot soup.

Oven-roasted tomatoes are the sweet base for this delicious and easy, vegan roasted tomato and garlic soup.

Searing the tomatoes before roasting them gets some of the natural sugars in the tomatoes caramelised.

This recipe is gloriously simple, aside from onion, tomatoes and garlic we add just two flavours, thyme and balsamic vinegar.

The balsamic helps to provide a balance to the sweetness of the tomatoes and thyme is a beautifully earthy autumnal flavour.

And boy do we go big with garlic in this homemade roasted tomato soup!

We roast 2 whole heads of garlic, don’t worry though you will not become a vampire botherer.

When roasted garlic becomes much more mellow, it also features in my roasted garlic spaghetti recipe.

Roasted tomato soup with garlic croutons and balsamic reduction.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the type of tomatoes matter?

Yes and no, if you have your pick of tomatoes look for some super-ripe San Marzano tomatoes.

However, this recipe is superb at using up less-than-perfect tomatoes because they get seared and roasting them in the oven concentrates the flavour.

I will often grab as many as I can from a late-in-the-day trip to the market and make this or my tomato consomme recipe!

Can I make this in advance?

Yes once this has been made it will stay fresh in the fridge for 3-4 days and will freeze for up to 6 months.

Do I have to add the balsamic vinegar?

No, but a bit of sharpness really does work well against the sweet tomatoes.

You could use sherry vinegar, lemon juice or even something like Worcestershire sauce or Henderson’s relish. remember Worcestershire sauce contains anchovy so is neither vegan or vegetarian.

What no dairy?

Yes, this is a dairy-free tomato soup, with no cream and completely vegan because I prefer it that way!

Two bowls of roasted tomato soup with garlic croutons and balsamic vinegar.

Serving Suggestions.

My oven-roasted tomato and garlic soup definitely needs to be served with bread!

Growing up, I’d have scoffed huge amounts of squidgy white bread with my tomato soup.

Today I am much more likely to make some garlic croutons. Simply chop up some older bread. Then heat some butter in a pan with a bashed garlic clove and toast your bread in it!

You can add a swirl of balsamic reduction too if you like.

But you always need a slice of bread at the end to clean up the bowl.

I’m not much of a baker but I usually try and make a soda bread to serve with this easy tomato soup!

Close up garlic croutons served with homemade roasted garlic tomato soup.

Equipment Used

I only recommend specific brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. If you have any questions feel free to ask the in the comments section below the recipe.

  • Stovetop.
  • Oven.
  • Large nonstick frying pan.
  • Deep-sided roasting tin.
  • Chopping board.
  • Sharp kitchen knife.
  • Weighing scales and or measuring cups and spoons.
  • Blender.
  • Fine mesh sieve.
Homemade roasted garlic tomato soup with croutons and balsamic reduction.
Yield: 4 Servings

Roasted Tomato and Garlic Soup Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Roasting the tomatoes and garlic for this easy homemade oven roasted tomato soup really does elevate the flavours to a whole new level!

Ingredients

  • 1 Kg (2.2lb) Tomatoes
  • 250g (1 Large) Onion
  • 2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 2 Large Heads of Garlic
  • 8 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
  • 1 Tsp Black Pepper
  • 1 Tsp Coarse Sea Salt
  • 1 Tsp Brown Sugar
  • Vegetable Stock (if required)

Instructions

  1. Cut the tomatoes in half and season the cut side with half of the salt.
  2. Heat a large nonstick skillet or frying pan over very high heat.
  3. Then sear the tomatoes in batches with the cut side down and cook until they begin to catch on the edges, approximately 2-3 minutes. After each batch transfers them to a large roasting tin.
  4. Slice the onion into 8 wedges.
  5. Pour the olive oil into the hot pan then fry the onions for 5-7 minutes to get them a nice golden colour and add them to the tomatoes.
  6. Pour the balsamic vinegar over the tomatoes and add the thyme then sprinkle over the remaining salt, pepper and brown sugar.
  7. Cut the garlic heads in half widthways (so you are cutting the garlic cloves in half) and nestle them cut-side down into the roasting tin.
  8. Roast in the hot oven for 45 minutes at 220°C or 450°F.
  9. When cooked remove the garlic (a spatula or fish slice really helps with this) and set it aside.
  10. Carefully (it will be hot) squeeze all of the flesh from the garlic heads and add them to a blender with the roasted tomatoes.
  11. Blend the soup until smooth and then pass it through a fine mesh sieve. Depending on your tomatoes you might need to add some stock, anywhere from none to 500ml or 2 cups should do.
  12. Reheat and serve.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 192Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 601mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 4gSugar: 11gProtein: 4g

Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.

Did you make this recipe?

If you made this recipe, I'd love to see what you did and what I can do better, share a picture with me on Instagram and tag me @krumplibrian and tell me how it went!

Faye

Thursday 7th of September 2023

Hi Brian, I’ve just put everything for the tomato garlic soup in the oven and was wondering if I need to add any stock or water? I’ll keep going until it’s ready to blend and see what happens.

Thanks Faye

Faye

Friday 8th of September 2023

Hi Brian, yes I realised after sending the message you would be fast asleep. Wish I had your tomatoes as I was left with no juice at all so I added 2 cups of vegetable stock, just heating it up now and tastes very good 😊

Brian Jones

Thursday 7th of September 2023

Hi Faye... sorry you sent this overnight for us folk in Europe, but no so long as you have some very ripe tomatoes you should not need any stock or water for this recipe.

Enjoy

Brian

sarah

Friday 16th of September 2022

There's a comment about honey in the recipe.... has the recipe changed? I really need a good tomato soup recipe, I am going to give this a go but am a soup newbie... when should I add and how much honey, runny or set? Will also check out San Marzano tomatoes for next year!

Brian Jones

Tuesday 20th of September 2022

Hi Sarah... I'm very much of the school that recipes are never "finished", I used to add drizzle of honey to the tomatoes before I roasted them, but I no longer do that. You still could though, just drizzle over a tablespoon before you roast off the tomatoes.

Brian

Ramona

Thursday 19th of April 2018

Oh my! What can I say and where to start? This soup looks so delicious and having the privilege to make it from own grown tomatoes it’s just perfect. I so agree with adding thyme to it. What a lovely desirable and inspiring recipe. Thanks for sharing this Brian.

Brian Jones

Friday 20th of April 2018

Cheers Ramona, tomato season is definitely my favourite :D

Brian Jones

Wednesday 18th of April 2018

Ooo super, have fun, I always pair sorrel with spinach, because sorrel goes the most god awful colour when cooked, adding spinach and keeping the cooking time to a minimum will help with both the citrus flavour and stop you having a soup looking the colour of a 1970's car :o

Patty

Wednesday 18th of April 2018

Wow This would be my favorite soup Brian, running to the kitchen to make it, the fam will love it! I'll have to make it with the basil schmazil though as I'm out of thyme lol!

Brian Jones

Wednesday 18th of April 2018

Lol, I reckon my brain would explode if I ran out of thyme :o

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