Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup (Printable Version)

Velvety roasted tomato soup with cream and crisp homemade croutons. Perfect comfort food for cozy evenings.

# What You'll Need:

→ For the Soup

01 - 1.5 lbs ripe tomatoes, halved
02 - 1 large onion, quartered
03 - 4 cloves garlic, peeled
04 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
05 - 1 teaspoon salt
06 - 0.5 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
07 - 0.5 teaspoon smoked paprika
08 - 2 cups vegetable broth
09 - 1 tablespoon tomato paste
10 - 1 teaspoon sugar
11 - 0.5 cup heavy cream, plus more for garnish
12 - 2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish

→ For the Homemade Croutons

13 - 2 cups day-old bread, cut into 0.5-inch cubes
14 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
15 - 0.5 teaspoon garlic powder
16 - 0.25 teaspoon salt
17 - 0.25 teaspoon dried oregano

# How To Make It:

01 - Preheat your oven to 425°F.
02 - Arrange tomatoes cut side up, onion, and garlic on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.
03 - Roast for 25-30 minutes until tomatoes are caramelized and tender.
04 - Toss bread cubes with olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and oregano. Spread on a separate baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes until golden and crisp. Set aside.
05 - Transfer roasted vegetables to a large pot. Add vegetable broth and tomato paste. Bring to a gentle simmer for 5 minutes.
06 - Add basil leaves, then blend the soup using an immersion blender until smooth, or carefully transfer to a blender in batches.
07 - Return soup to the pot. Stir in heavy cream and sugar if needed. Taste and adjust seasoning. Heat gently without boiling.
08 - Ladle soup into bowls. Swirl with extra cream, sprinkle with croutons, and garnish with fresh basil.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The roasting step transforms ordinary tomatoes into something with depth and caramelized sweetness you can't achieve any other way.
  • It comes together in under an hour but tastes like you've been tending a pot all day.
  • Homemade croutons turn this from soup into an actual meal, plus they stay crispy even after sitting in a bowl for a few minutes.
02 -
  • Never boil the cream once it's added or it will separate and look curdled—gentle heat is your friend here, just warm enough to be steaming.
  • Taste the soup before blending, because once it's smooth you can't pick out hard bits, so make sure your roasted vegetables actually taste good on their own first.
03 -
  • Save the croutons in an airtight container and they'll stay crispy for three days, so you can make them ahead and just warm them gently before serving.
  • If your soup tastes flat after blending, it's usually because heat released some of the brightness—taste it and adjust seasoning, sometimes just a tiny bit more salt wakes everything up instantly.
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