This roasted tomato soup features roasted tomatoes, roasted red peppers, and a handful of ingredients pureed together in a blender. It requires just 10 minutes of active time to make and it's the perfect way to use summer produce!
I've said it once and I'll say it a thousand times again: there are only a few reasons to turn the oven on in the summer. Zucchini bread, sheet pan meals, and making roasted vegetables are my top reasons.
This roasted tomato and red pepper soup falls into the roasted vegetable category. Roasting tomatoes and peppers with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt deepens and concentrates their flavor, adds a little bit of char, and a lot of savoriness.
This recipe is pretty similar to my cherry tomato pasta sauce, but in soup form. It is the perfect way to use up tomatoes from the garden or farmer's market.
It has a touch of sweetness from the peppers and it's super creamy because it's blended. I love eating it with grilled cheese (classic!) and a small side salad.
Recipe features
- Concentrated flavor: Roasted tomatoes and peppers have more flavor than raw or even sauteed veggies. Roasting them evaporates a lot of the liquid and concentrates their flavor, which also keeps the soup from being watery
- Made in a blender: This tomato soup is made in a blender. Blending the soup makes it ultra smooth and almost fluffy without any dairy.
- Simple ingredients: You only need 10 minutes of active time and less than 10 ingredients to make this soup!
Ingredients
- Tomatoes on the vine: These are my go-to tomatoes for tomato soup because they have a sweet, concentrated flavor. Any kind of beefsteak tomato or slicing tomato also works.
- Red peppers: You only need two large red peppers. I haven't tested this recipe with orange or yellow peppers but imagine it would be slightly less sweet.
- Yellow onion: I like to use a sweet yellow or Vidalia onion.
- Basil: A handful of fresh basil (stems removed) is best here.
- Garlic: I do 4-5 cloves of garlic but I definitely recommend adjusting to taste. Garlic powder is not a good option for this soup, stick with the real deal!
- Vegetable bouillon is one of my favorite ingredients for plant-based cooking. It is a more flavorful and more budget-friendly alternative to vegetable broth. You can use leftover bouillon to add flavor to soups and beans.
How to make
Start by quartering and coring the tomatoes. Removing the core is an important step because it will affect the soup texture if left in. The tomato slices do not need to be uniform in size. Cut the bell pepper into 4-5 pieces.
Layer a large sheet pan with parchment paper (optional, makes clean-up much easier). Layer the tomatoes, sliced onions, red pepper slices, and garlic out in an even layer.
Toss with olive oil and salt.
Transfer to the oven to roast on the middle rack at 425F for 30-35 minutes. You want everything to have a slight char but not be totally blackened or burned. The tomatoes will look significantly reduced and there should only be a small amount of tomato juice on the pan.
Transfer everything to a blender. Add 1 teaspoon of vegetable bouillon, ¼ teaspoon sugar, 1 cup of water, and a handful of fresh basil. An equal amount of vegetable broth will work in place of the bouillon and water.
Blend until super smooth. This will take 1-2 minutes on medium speed. Taste for salt and sugar.
Tips for the best tomato soup
- Cherry tomatoes: I have made this soup with half cherry tomatoes and half slicing tomatoes and the results are pretty similar. The soup is slightly less smooth because cherry tomatoes have more skins than larger tomatoes.
- For a more rustic texture, use an immersion blender instead of a blender.
- For a garlicky tomato soup, roast an entire bulb of garlic instead of just 4-5 cloves.
- To make the soup extra creamy, add milk or coconut milk in place of the water. I still recommend adding the vegetable bouillon for extra flavor.
Leftovers and storage
- This recipe makes roughly 1 quart of tomato soup. I like to store it in a quart-sized mason jar.
- Leftovers are best within 4-5 days. Keep refrigerated.
- Freezing: This tomato soup freezes well. If freezing in a glass jar, make sure to let the soup cool to room temp before freezing and leave at least one inch of space at the top of the jar. Let thaw overnight in the fridge when ready to reheat.
- Reheating: Single servings can be reheated in the microwave in just 1-2 minutes. Make sure to cover the bowl of soup with a paper towel etc. before reheating as it can make a big mess! Or reheat in a sauce pot on the stove over medium heat, stirring occassionally until warmed through.
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Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup
- 1 Blender
Ingredients
- 3 pounds on-the-vine tomatoes see note #1
- 2 medium red bell peppers
- 1 medium sweet yellow onion sliced into 4-5 wedges
- 4-5 garlic cloves skins removed
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt adjust to taste
- ½ to 1 cup water see note #2
- 1 teaspoon vegetable bouillon
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves packed into cup
- ¼ teaspoon sugar adjust to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425F. Layer a large sheet pan with parchment paper (optional, makes clean-up easier).
- Slice the tomatoes into 3-4 pieces. Remove the center stem and core from the tomatoes. Slice the bell peppers into 4-5 wedges, removing the center seeds and stem. Quarter the onions, also removing the core and pulling apart the layers of the onion to make 7-8 pieces total.
- Spread the tomatoes, onion pieces, red pepper slices, and cloves of garlic out in an even layer on the sheet pan.
- Sprinkle with olive oil and salt. Use clean hands to toss everything together.
- Transfer to the oven to roast on the middle rack at 425F for 30-35 minutes. It is ready when some pieces have char marks (they shouldn't be completely burned, just blackened in spots) and the tomatoes are reduced in size.
- Transfer everything to a blender. Be careful not to overfill the blender. Add ½ cup water, vegetable bouillon, basil, and sugar.
- Blend on medium speed for 1-2 minutes, until pureed. Vent the blender as needed to avoid steam buildup. Add the remaining ½ cup water as desired (I usually end up adding the full cup of water).
- Taste for salt and sugar. Garnish with extra basil and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Tomatoes: Any slicing tomato should work fine, just make sure to remove the core. I have made this recipe with half cherry tomatoes/half slicing tomatoes with success, though it yields a slightly less uniform texture.
- Water/bouillon: 1 cup of vegetable broth can be used in place of the water and bouillon.
- Freezing: This tomato soup freezes well. If freezing in a glass jar, make sure to let the soup cool to room temp before freezing and leave at least one inch of space at the top of the jar. Let thaw overnight in the fridge when ready to reheat.
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