Tomato soup is one of those meals that just hits the spot once in a while and there aren’t many things that are more comforting than dunking a perfectly toasted grilled cheese into a creamy, hearty tomato soup. This is one of the best tomato soups I’ve ever had. Roasting the tomatoes adds a nice depth of flavor and the soup has a smooth, velvety texture. I hope you enjoy it! Don’t forget to check out the recipe for fresh bread, this loaf bread grills up nicely for the perfect grilled cheese.

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

A rich, velvety smooth soup loaded with flavor!

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Ingredients

15 roma tomatoes, sliced lengthwise and roasted
3 tbsp olive oil (for roasting the tomatoes)
salt and pepper to taste (for roasting the tomatoes)
2 tbsp butter
1 yellow onion
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp fresh thyme, minced (1 tsp dried thyme)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 cup fresh basil, chopped (1/8 cup dried basil)
1 tbsp sugar
3 cups chicken broth (+ extra if needed)
2/3 cup heavy cream

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400℉. Line 2 shallow baking pans with parchment paper.
Slice the Roma tomatoes in half lengthwise and place in a shallow baking pan, skins down. Remove any seeds that are easy to get to by scooping them out with a small spoon. Don't stress over seed removal, the blending process later will puree any remaining seeds.
Drizzle the tomatoes in olive oil and season liberally with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 1 hour.
When the tomatoes are almost done roasting, finely mince the onion, garlic and thyme. Chop the basil. Add the onion and butter to a large soup pot and sauté for a couple of minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, salt and pepper and sauté for another minute. Add the roasted tomatoes and stir well. If you want to pick the skins off of them before you add them, or after you stir them, they're pretty easy to slide off at this point. I did remove the skins by picking them out as I stirred, I don't think you would need to as long as you have a good quality blender they should puree to smooth.
Add the basil, sugar and broth to the pot and simmer on low for 30 minutes. Stirring occasionally.
Use an immersion blender or a regular blender/food processor to puree to your desired thickness then transfer back into the soup pot. If you find the soup to be too thick, add additional chicken broth 1 cup at a time to your desired consistency. Be sure to taste test the soup for consistency, don't just eye ball it. The soup may look thicker than it actually is…
After the soup is your desired consistency, add the heavy cream and stir well.
Serve with grilled cheese, croutons or crackers, and enjoy!

Notes

You could use any type of tomato that you wanted, but the water content of the soup will change significantly if you choose a slicer variety rather than a sauce tomato.

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup