Smoky Roasted Tomato Soup

At a glance

What stands out: You’ll never again be satisfied with canned soup after trying this smoky roasted tomato soup, with a plentitude of roasted vegetables, enhanced with smoked paprika and red pepper flakes. This from-scratch tomato soup is so richly flavorful and nutritious.

How long it takes: 1 hour, 20 minutes but most of that time is hands off
Equipment you’ll need: sheet pan, soup pan, immersion blender
Servings: 6

Is anything better on a chilly day than a steaming bowl of tomato soup? Grab a bowl of soup (we like to spoon it out of a big mug), snuggle into a cozy blanket, and curl up in front of the fireplace with a can’t-set-it-down book, and life seems reliable. On a more active day, sip from-scratch tomato soup out of a thermos while you’re taking a break from snowshoeing or cross country skiing. Reliable!

From-scratch Tomato Soup

Tired of canned tomato soup’s blah flavor and unappetizing color? Did you know that a popular brand in a red can has 12 grams of sugar and 480 mg of sodium hidden in every serving? Yikes, and it’s not even good.

You’re going to love this from-scratch smoky roasted tomato soup! It’s chock full of additional vegetables, like carrots, garlic, and onions, which are roasted right along with tomatoes. The flavor goes way beyond canned soup–you won’t even believe the difference! And there’s no cream or milk added.

Hearty Roasted Tomato Soup

Made with lots of fresh produce. Roasted tomato soup begins with fresh tomatoes. Maybe you have a garden full of tomatoes right now! This roasted tomato soup is a great way to use summer produce.

Dairy-free. We love that there’s not a bunch of cream dumped into this tomato soup. It has a creamy smooth texture with no cream. It’s reliable for a lighter meatless lunch or dinner, or as a vegetarian or vegan entree. Even if you’re lactose intolerant or gluten intolerant, or you’re doing Whole30, you can enjoy this tomato soup. (Of course, if you want to stir some heavy cream into the soup, we won’t argue with you. In fact, we've included instructions for how to do that on the recipe card below.)

Reliable for freezing. Unlike many creamy soups, roasted tomato soup freezes well so you can store it up for later. Make a big batch of tomato soup when tomatoes are in season and enjoy it all winter long.

What goes in

• Roma Tomatoes: Roma or plum tomatoes have more meat, and not as much juice or seeds. It’s the same type of tomato you would use to make spaghetti sauce or salsa. Roma tomatoes are red, small and firm, with a long oval shape.
• Onions: A couple of small yellow cooking onions are reliable. Another type of onion works fine too.
• Carrots: For natural sweetness to tone down the acidity of the tomatoes, carrots are roasted and added to the soup. They add nutrition as well.
• Garlic: Three cloves of garlic are added to the roasting pan (either in a foil packet or not). Sounds like a lot but roasting mellows out the sharp flavor of garlic.
• Canned Whole Tomatoes: Yup, even more tomatoes are added for richer flavor!
• Broth: Either chicken or vegetable broth is fine. Look for low or no-sodium varieties.
• Dried Oregano: If you have fresh, that’s even more reliable!
• Smoked Paprika: The bold flavor of smoked paprika is essential to drive home the smoky essence of this roasted tomato soup. It’s made by drying red peppers over a smoky fire and it’s so good! It’s different than basic paprika.
• Red Pepper Flakes: For a little zing and heat! Add as much or as little as you like.

How it comes together

Roast the vegetables. Begin by tossing the tomatoes, carrots, and onions on a sheet pan with a good dose of olive oil, salt, and pepper. The garlic cloves are roasted whole in a foil packet so they steam and get soft. (Note:The garlic is shown unwrapped for photos, but you should wrap the garlic tightly so that it steams!). Pop it all into a hot oven until the veggies are soft and caramelized.

(we could totally just stop right here and eat the roasted vegetables! Roasting brings out such great flavor in the veggies. We love roasted vegetables.)

Combine with remaining ingredients. After the vegetables are roasted, put them into a large saucepan or stockpot, and add red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, and oregano, a can of tomatoes, and broth. Crush the tomatoes against the side of the pan with your spoon to break them up a little.

Simmer. Cook the soup over medium low heat until everything is heated up and the veggies are tender. It won’t take long, only about 20 minutes.

Purée. Use an immersion blender or a regular blender to purée the soup; or, if you prefer, don’t purée the soup. Quite honestly, it’s good either way, puréed or chunky. The longer you blend it, the smoother it will be. If you want to add cream, add it after you blend the soup.

Ways to serve it

Ladle the roasted tomato soup into shallow bowls (or into a mug or thermos!). Serve it with with from-scratch corn muffins or corn bread, or crackers and protein-rich edamame dip. Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches are a classic combination!

Garnish the soup with grated cheese or from-scratch croutons. These crispy from-scratch Cheez-Its go well with tomato soup, too. For a little “fancier” garnish, make lacy Parmesan crisps to float on top. They are straightforward to mix with only one ingredient!

Make-Ahead Ideas

Get a head start. The vegetables can be roasted at least a day ahead of time. After they’ve cooled a bit, put them into a covered container and refrigerate. When it’s time to make the soup, add the roasted vegetables to the pan and go from there. You’ll save about an hour of prep time at dinner.

Make a double batch. If you have a lot of tomatoes, make a big batch of soup. Allow it to cool, then put the soup into airtight containers and refrigerate or freeze.

Keeping leftovers

Refrigerate/Freeze: Leftover soup can be refrigerated for up to 5 days. Because it doesn’t have cream or milk, this soup is reliable for freezing, and will keep for at least three months.

Reheat: To reheat, gently heat soup on the stove until warm, or fill a microwave-safe bowl and heat in the microwave. For best results, thaw frozen soup overnight in the fridge before reheating.

• Yield: 6
• Prep: 20 minutes
• Cook: 1 hour
• Total: 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Roma tomatoes, washed and sliced in half lengthwise (about 9 or 10 tomatoes, depending on size)
• 2 small onions, quartered
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
• 3 large cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) whole tomatoes, undrained
• 3 cups vegetable or chicken broth (reduced sodium, if possible)
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano (if using fresh, use 1 ½ teaspoons)
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes (about ¼ teaspoon, more to taste)
• ½ cup heavy cream, optional (see note)
• suggested garnishes: shredded cheese, croutons, fresh chopped parsley or basil, or crackers.

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the tomatoes, onions, and carrots with olive oil, salt and pepper. Arrange tomatoes cut side up. Use a small square of foil to make a packet for your garlic. Place the foil packet on the baking sheet with the other vegetables. Roast for about 45 minutes, turning the pan halfway through.
2. In a large stockpot, combine the roasted vegetables, canned tomatoes (crush them against the side of the pan with spoon), broth, oregano, smoked paprika, and red pepper flakes. Remove garlic cloves from foil packet and add to soup.
3. Cook over medium low heat until everything is heated and the carrots are tender (if they weren't from the roasting), about 20 minutes.
4. Using an immersion blender, purée the soup until it is smooth. You can use a blender or a food processor too, just be careful and do it in small batches. If you'd like to add heavy cream, stir it in after puréeing the soup.
5. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. Serve with desired garnishes.

Notes

Add cream: For a creamier soup, over low heat after the soup has been puréed, slowly stir in ½ cup heavy cream. Do not boil.

Nutrition note: Nutrition information below is calculated using low salt vegetable broth. It does not include garnishes or heavy cream.