Roasted Cherry Tomato Soup Recipe

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Fresh tomatoes, root vegetables, and garden herbs mingle with warm spices and sweet honey in this creamy Roasted Cherry Tomato Soup recipe.

Roasted Cherry Tomato Soup Recipe

Roasted tomatoes have long since been a thing for me. And this time of year, when fields are bearing the last of what summer 2022 has to offer, this couple-week time pocket makes merging both summer and autumn things possible in your kitchen.

A well-balanced and creamy tomato soup is achievable without grabbing for anything canned from your pantry. If you’ve been following me long enough and have implemented suggestions, I’ve shared about stretching your grocery store dollar, you likely already know how to make rich chicken stock and have some in your freezer.

You’ll want to thaw a bag or two, enough to equal 2-ish cups for this creamy roasted tomato soup. You’ll also, of course, need garden tomatoes.

Use whatever you’ve got left: grape tomatoes, Campari’s, Roma’s…and combine them with a pint or sweeter flavored cherry tomatoes. It is the grand finale of tomato season, and YOU are closing it out with a bang.

What to Serve with A Good Tomato Soup?

So, there is the very cliche, however VERY YUMMY, good old grilled cheese sandwich. In a way, I feel the best soups, the ones that I consider comfort food anyway, almost scream for grilled cheese as an accompaniment.

Do not underestimate the satisfaction of easy French bread rolls, though. Softened butter smeared across an airy crumb that is still warm from your oven…it’s as good a reason to bake your bread as far as good reasons go!

Or you can think outside the box…

This may come as a surprise, but tomato soup is one of the most delicious side dishes to eat with mac and cheese! The two distinct flavors of each dish complement one another and make for a hearty meal.

Ingredients for Roasted Cherry Tomato Soup

• fresh cherry tomatoes (and, if desired, any additional garden variety tomatoes you may have)
• sweet onions
• whole head garlic and loose garlic cloves
• fresh carrots
• fresh herbs thyme, rosemary, and basil
• olive oil
• cumin
• dried dill
• smoked paprika, hot or sweet
• Kosher salt
• black pepper
• celery
• red onion
• shallots
• tomato paste
• red pepper flakes (may also use Aleppo pepper)
• honey, raw if you are able to source it
• chicken stock or vegetable stock
• heavy cream or full fat and well-shaken coconut milk

optional if you happen to have it

• rind from a block of Parmesan cheese or any other hard cheese rind

Why Cherry Tomatoes?

Why not? Seriously? They’re full of vitamin A and lycopene, sweet, less acidic than some other varieties, and cook fast to where they caramelize their sugar perfectly.

In this soup recipe, I play up and capitalize on that sweet profile, hitting the tomatoes with roasted carrots, additional caramelized vegetables, and, of all things, honey.

The addition of honey puts this soup on the map.

What Equipment Do I Need to Make Roasted Cherry Tomato Soup?

First, a large, rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. All these vegetables will roast in your oven for anywhere from 35 minutes to 1 hour, depending on your desired deep color and caramelization.

You will also need a large Dutch oven or other ceramic-coated large pot. Though it will never go above medium heat, having a ceramic-coated pot helps to avoid scorching and sticking/burning.

Lastly, an immersion (stick blender) or large food processor can take hot liquids well. After the roast, the caramelized vegetables will marry sautéed vegetables and warm spices, then be pureed harmoniously.

What Herbs Are Added to This Healthy Roasted Tomato Soup?

Look at what’s looking good among the herbs in your garden. I am using thyme (because there’s like an acre of it!), rosemary, and basil.

Other fresh herbs that work beautifully include sage, marjoram, and, in limited quantity, tarragon. Think basil, small amounts of finely chopped fresh dill, and carrot or fennel fronds if you want to garnish with fresh herbs.

What Spices am I Adding?

Think of warm spices like cumin and smoked paprika. I also add quite a lot of dried dill because I love, love, love the sweet flavor it offers.

In addition to aromatics, you will add sweet honey, raw if you have it available, and red pepper flakes, cayenne, or Aleppo pepper if you can source it.

And though it is not a spice, tomato paste is essential in this dish. In the Dutch oven, after we’ve sauteed celery, shallots, and red onion in olive oil, tomato paste is added alongside the trilogy and given time to caramelize from a bright red to an almost brown color.

Can Roasted Cherry Tomato Soup be Made Ahead?

Yes, and in my opinion, though it’s delicious right out of the pot as soon as it’s pureed, it’s downright fabulous the next day after it’s had time to simmer, cool down, refrigerate, and be brought to a hot soup again.

These simple and FRESH ingredients marry to create THE BEST FLAVOR in a homemade soup. Once you’ve assembled this easy roasted tomato soup recipe for the first time, you’ll quickly think about other unique combinations to invent more favorite soups.

Homemade Sandwich Bread ‘Inside Out’ Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

If you are like me and you relish the best of both worlds here, follow this easy sandwich bread recipe. Once pulled from the oven, allow it to cool while you brown two tablespoons of unsalted butter in a non-stick skillet.

Slice the sandwich bread to the thickness of regular store-bought bread and place one slice into the brown butter. Remove it quickly and jiggle the pan to redistribute the remaining brown butter.

Sprinkle a tablespoon or two of finely shredded cheddar cheese atop the butter right in the center of the pan. Allow it 15 to 30 seconds to begin to bubble and melt.

Place the clean slice of bread into the pan and top with a piece of yellow or white American cheese. Replace the top portion of bread with the cheese, the buttered side facing out.

Griddle the sandwich on the first side over medium heat until golden brown and the dragging of a knife result in a crispy, crunchy sound. Oh, I LOVE that sound!

Gently lift the sandwich so as not to dislodge the cheese, sprinkle some additional cheddar in the pan, then flip and griddle side number two to the same golden brown, and the American cheese is molten and just beginning to drip.

Cut the sandwich into two triangles from corner to corner. Serve with this easy soup made perfectly with sweet tomatoes, the last of the summer tomatoes.

Other Ideas for Serving with This Soup

• homemade croutons (bread croutons)
• grilled cheese croutons
• frizzled chopped onion straws
• chiffonade fresh basil leaves for garnish

Can this Tomato Soup be Frozen?

Yes, with a caveat. Let me elaborate for a moment, as this is, in my way of thinking, the best way to do this for the best results. Gather your freezer-safe containers (any airtight container or freezer bags) for freezer meal planning. Make the soup up to the step where you add the heavy cream. STOP before adding any cream.

Ladle the soup into your containers and cool entirely before fastening the lids. Label, date, affix the tops, and freeze for six months. Add heavy cream (or full-fat coconut milk) to your liking upon reheating and serving. To reheat properly, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and heat gently in a non-stick saucepan over medium heat.

Et voilà, a bowl of soup!

How to Make This Roasted Cherry Tomato Soup Recipe?

Roast the Tomatoes

Line your largest baking tray with a sheet of parchment. You will thank me for the easy cleanup afterward.

After washing and drying a pint or more of cherry tomatoes, spread them on the tray. Follow with two large peeled and segmented carrots, one peeled and quartered large onion, the two shallots you’ve left whole, a head of garlic halved, and a handful of peeled garlic cloves.

Add two tablespoons of olive oil, cumin, some smoked paprika, dried dill, freshly cracked black pepper, and a healthy pinch of Kosher salt. Use your hands and toss the vegetables around, COATING EVERYTHING.

Turn the garlic head halves upside down so their exposed flesh is against the baking sheet. The loose cloves can be scattered. Nestle the herbs in between the vegetables.

Pop into a preheated 350°F oven for anywhere between 35 minutes to one hour. The longer the roast, the sweeter the vegetables, and if you’re lucky, even a good bit of mild charring here and there.

Sauté the Aromatics

Into a large Dutch oven, pour a tablespoon-ish of good olive oil and heat it to shimmering. Add some diced celery, diced shallots, and chopped red onion.

Allow this trilogy to sauté over medium heat for 10 minutes until some pieces are translucent and others mildly golden. Push all to one side of the Dutch oven using a wooden spoon.

Add four tablespoons of tomato paste directly into the space you’ve created. Using the same wooden spoon, try to ‘spread’ the tomato paste over the bottom half of the Dutch oven.

Cook the tomato paste for several minutes before stirring it and re-spreading it. You are coaxing a burn, and the sugar in the tomato paste will begin to turn a lovely shade of brown, caramelizing that sugar the longer it cooks.

Build A Soup Base

Then, use that wooden spoon to merge the (now nicely browned) tomato paste with the vegetables and add cumin, more dried dill, red pepper flakes, and several tablespoons of honey.

The mixture is still sitting over medium heat and will likely begin to cook faster and smoke because of the honey. Grab your whisk and start deglazing with whatever stock you intend to use, homemade, of course, recommended, whisking constantly and scraping any bits accumulated on the bottom.

If you want to flavor your soup in a bit of a savvy way and have both time and a rind of a well-aged cheese such as Beemster or Parmesan, toss it into the base. Simmer it for 20 minutes, removing and discarding the skin before adding vegetables.

Pro Tip: always save those cheese rinds, as they are a fabulous way to flavor soups, chowders, and stews. They simmer in the soup and are removed just before serving; they impart a rich, almost nutty flavor without adding cheese to a recipe.

Incorporating the Roasted Tomatoes

Pull the baking sheet full of roasted veg from the oven. Give them a few minutes to cool, but immediately, spoon them into the Dutch oven mixture; be careful to remove any vine tomatoes you roast and plan to use as a garnish.

Squeeze the garlic from its papery exterior and into the Dutch oven. Add any of the charred loose cloves into the Dutch oven as well.

You’ll notice a lot of aromatic juice collected beneath the vegetables. Carefully lift the parchment paper and allow the loaded-with-flavor viscous fluid to drip into the Dutch oven.

The herb leaves may be pretty well dried out, but I try to use my fingers and salvage some of it. The thyme, for me especially, is so worth it, so I run the stems between my thumb and forefinger, removing what leaves pull away easily.

Puree the Ingredients

I use an immersion blender to puree the mixture directly in the pot. If you do not own an immersion blender, use a very large blender or food processor that hot liquid will not damage.

If I am serving immediately, I begin drizzling in heavy cream, pureeing some more, then a bit more cream until it’s the consistency I want. I would say, in total, I do not add more than 3/4 cups of cream ever, but everybody’s idea of thick soup is slightly different.

TASTE YOUR SOUP. What does it need? More salt? Additional honey? Add accordingly and keep warm over very low heat until ready to serve.