Roasted Tomato Soup
The classic comfort food pairing of Roasted Tomato Soup and grilled cheese gets a modern update.
Once you try this homemade version, you’ll never go back to the can!
When there’s a chill in the air, nothing beats the comforting simplicity of tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. Next time you’re tempted to reach for that ubiquitous red can, leave it in the cupboard and make your own tomato soup instead. It’s super easy, and tastes a thousand times better!
This version is topped with a slice of rustic bread, heaped with salty Gruyère cheese, and broiled until hot and bubbly. It reminds me of French onion soup!
How long does Roasted Tomato Soup take to make?
It takes about 2 hours from start to finish to make this Roasted Tomato Soup.
Let’s talk about the ingredients
Fresh plum tomatoes – Roasting the fresh tomatoes creates a delicious, deep flavour. Plum tomatoes work best here because they have less liquid than say, a slicing tomato like a beefsteak.
Garlic – When you roast the garlic it becomes soft and nutty and mild — the recipe calls for 3 cloves but you can use more if you like it!
Gruyere Cheese – Rich and nutty, Gruyere cheese melts beautifully and adds a lovely touch of salt to the meal.
Can I Make Substitutions?
Plum tomatoes – I have only tried this with fresh plum tomatoes. Canned tomatoes might not work because they don’t have the skin to get caramelized and browned. You could probably substitute a small vine tomato and slice them into quarters.
Chicken stock – You can substitute vegetable stock.
Gruyere cheese – If you can’t find gruyere, you could substitute any salty, semi-firm strongly flavoured cheese, such as Swiss, Emmenthal, or Fontina – as long as it melts well.
Can Roasted Tomato Soup be Gluten-Free?
Yes, if you use a gluten-free rustic bread.
The Roasted Tomato Soup Method
First, you slice plum tomatoes in half lengthwise, and put them on a sheet pan. Then you drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil and season with salt & pepper. The garlic cloves — drizzled in olive oil and wrapped in aluminum foil — go on the same baking sheet and into a 400°F oven for about an hour. You want the tomatoes to be soft and slightly browned.
After the tomatoes and garlic are done, they go into a food processor or high-speed blender, along with any liquid released by the tomatoes. All that gets pulsed until blended but still slightly chunky.
Get your big soup pot, and throw in the thyme leaves, tomato/garlic mixture, red pepper flakes, and chicken stock. It all gets simmered until slightly reduced.
To finish off the tomato soup, ladle it into oven proof bowls. Place a slice of rustic bread on top and cover the bread with grated cheese.
Place under a broiler until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and just starting to brown.
Roasted Tomato Soup
Equipment
- 1 food processor or high-speed blender, or stick blender
- 1 Sheet pan
- Aluminum foil
- 1 Large soup pot
- 4 Oven-safe soup bowls
Ingredients
- 1.25 kg Fresh plum tomatoes Sliced in half, lengthwise
- 2 tbsp olive oil Divided
- 3 cloves garlic
- salt & pepper
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 tsp dried
- 4 cups chicken stock or 1 litre
- 1 cup Gruyere cheese grated
- 4 slices rustic bread
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Place tomatoes, cut side up, on a baking sheet, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap garlic cloves in aluminum foil and drizzle with the other tablespoon of olive oil. Place on the same baking sheet. Roast until tomatoes are soft and slightly browned, about 1 hour. The tomatoes should look collapsed and slightly charred on the edges.
- Remove garlic from foil. In a food processor, process the tomatoes and any remaining liquid, with the garlic for just a few pulses so it's still a little chunky.
- In a large pot, combine thyme leaves, red pepper flakes, chicken stock and processed tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, for another 30 minutes.
- To serve, fill small bowls with soup. Place a slice of bread on top of each bowl, and mound grated cheese on top. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbling.