Garlicky Roasted Tomato Soup
Roasted tomato soup, a tasty way to use up tomatoes past their best, balsamic vinegar, thyme and 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 being roasted.
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.
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 roasted in the oven, which 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 anchovies, so it is neither vegan nor vegetarian.
What, no dairy?
Yes, this is a dairy-free tomato soup, with no cream and completely vegan because I prefer it that way!
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 to make a soda bread to serve with this easy tomato soup!
Equipment Used
I only recommend specific brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Hob/stovetop.
- Oven.
- Large nonstick frying pan.
- Deep-sided roasting tin.
- Chopping board.
- Sharp kitchen knife.
- Blender.
- Fine mesh sieve.
- Weighing scales and measuring spoons.
Roasted Tomato and Garlic Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Kg Tomatoes 2.2lb
- 1 Large Onion 250g
- 2 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 2 Large Heads of Garlic
- 8 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Coarse Sea Salt
- 1 teaspoon Brown Sugar
- Vegetable Stock (as required)
Instructions
- Cut the tomatoes in half and season the cut side with the salt.
- Heat a large nonstick frying pan over very high heat. 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, transfer them to a large roasting tin.
- Slice the onion into 8 wedges.
- 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.
- Pour the balsamic vinegar over the tomatoes and add the thyme, then sprinkle over the pepper and brown sugar.
- 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.
- Roast in the hot oven for 45 minutes at 220°C or 450°F.
- When cooked, remove the garlic (a spatula or fish slice really helps with this) and set it aside.
- Carefully (it will be hot), squeeze all of the flesh from the garlic heads and add them to a blender with the roasted tomatoes.
- 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.
- Reheat and serve.
...all it tasted of was the sweet caramelised garlic with only a hint of tomato coming through. I rescued it with 1/2 tsp each of smoked paprika and cumin to stop it being so sweet and it was delicious. Not a criticism of the recipe.as I live in Australia so I suspect our tomatoes and garlic are sweeter than the UK. Will make it again but with only one garlic head and maybe a sprinkle of smoked paprika and cumin over the tomatoes to tone the sweetness down.
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
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
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 😊
That's curious, I've never needed to do that, thanks for letting me know 🙂 I will add a note to the recipe to reflect this.
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!
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
Oh my! What can I say and where to start? This tomato 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.
This soup sounds wonderful, but I am definitely going to have to check out your sorrel soup. I planted some sorrel last year and it is flourishing and I have no idea what to do with it!
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!
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.
Cheers Ramona, tomato season is definitely my favourite 😀
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 😮
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!
Lol, I reckon my brain would explode if I ran out of thyme 😮
My husband will be thrilled with this soup, you added thyme, he has planted time in every angle of the garden. Sounds delicious. My favourite, I too love soup all kinds.
Thanks Rosemary, thyme is such a wonderful herb especially at this 'time' of year, it works so will in this soup with the sweet rasted garlic and the balsamic 🙂
Love that you're a gardener! My husband is pouring over his Johhny's seed catalog now looking for the San Marzano tomatoes! We know we want a fleshier variety for soups and sauce and salsa. Thought we'd try yours. The soup is an education in itself. Love the roasted garlic (although I'm with your wife "Bring on the garlic!".
We grow our own thyme which I use in everything. Basil turns into aphid food here. Thyme not so much. YAY, Dave found a San Marzano type greenhouse tomato! WHOOP! Next year's variety for sure. Thanks so much for sharing. My favorite soup today is your tomato soup. Love the balsamic touch. It's so good with tomato!
Teehee, I am a numpty gardener... I genuinely have no idea what I am doing but Mother Nature seems to be a kind mistress, we just chuck stuff in the ground show it a little love and she somehow provides us with plenty of bounty. San Marzano are a great variety for tomatoes, they have loads of flesh which makes for much better soups and sauces which we preserve loads of for winter, they are also really hardy and seem to last for much longer on the plant.
This sounds amazing! I love that you added some honey in your soup, I will have to remember that! I so wished we lived closer because I would be knocking on your door bringing dessert for you and the wife right about now. 🙂
Thanks Tina, I always like to add a little sweetness when cooking with tomatoes and we get great honey from a chap in the neighboring village so it is daft not to use it... Just a we request though you posted this 12:23am my time so could you deliver my dessert a little later please 😀 😉
Looks yum.
I put roasted capicum in mine. Add that bit more pep.
Thanks Rachel... I do a nice soup with roasted capsicum in too but this one is all about the tommy toes 😀