Roasted Tomato Soup

A lazy way to enjoy the best tomato soup you’ll ever make!

prep time 45-50 mins
total time 1 hour & 5-10 mins
serves 4-6

This is probably my all-time favourite soup recipe. Growing up, I adored Heinz tomato soup, as it was simple, sweet, and creamy. Since going vegan, I couldn’t buy the same soup in the supermarket anymore (though I think this has changed recently!), so I decided to make my own.

Roasting the tomatoes makes a huge difference to the depth of the flavour, and also, it means it’s less fussy to make. You chuck the ingredients in the oven, then mix and blend together, rather than having to stand over the hob. Always a welcome change for someone who loves cooking most of her food from scratch! This recipe actually came from a day when my husband Alex was ill, and he requested tomato soup. Out of laziness I threw everything in a roasting tin and blended it up!

All you’ll need is:

• 1.5kg cherry or vine tomatoes

• 2 red onions

• 2 bulbs of garlic

• 1 carrot

• Olive oil

• Salt and pepper

• ½ tsp oregano

• 500ml vegetable stock

• 200ml (half a tin) coconut milk

• Handful of fresh basil

• Splash of balsamic vinegar

You could use any tomatoes for this recipe, but my favourite are the medium-sized tomatoes on the vine. They’re easy to chop in half to add to the roasting dish, and they’re full of flavour. But you could also use cherry or plum tomatoes and not bother chopping them up.

Add these in with the bulbs of garlic. Chop them in half across the centre and face them upwards also. For me, roasted garlic is one of the tastiest things ever so it adds even more flavour to the recipe. Throw in the chopped carrot, a generous glug of olive oil, oregano, and season with salt and pepper. Throw them in the oven for 40-45 minutes, util deliciously succulent and roasted.

Once they’re roasted and juicy, add them to a blender or food processor, along with the coconut milk, basil, vegetable stock, and balsamic vinegar. Blitz until smooth. It should come out a beautiful orange colour. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

I love to serve this up with some extra coconut milk swirled through, a few sprigs of basil, black pepper, and fresh bread. Simple and delicious! This soup works perfectly with a side of a vegan cheese toastie too, to dip in and scoop out to tomato soup with.

INGREDIENTS

• 1.5kg cherry or vine tomatoes

• 2 red onions

• Bulb of garlic

• 1 carrot

• Olive oil

• Salt and pepper

• 500ml vegetable stock

• 200ml (half a tin) coconut milk

• Handful of fresh basil

• ½ tsp oregano

• Splash of balsamic vinegar

  
  To Serve

• Fresh basil

• Crusty bread
  

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.

2. Halve the tomatoes, roughly chop the onion and carrots, halve the bulb of garlic. Add the tomatoes and garlic, flat side up, then add the carrots and onions scattered around in a roasting tray. Drizzle with olive oil all over, sprinkle with oregano, and season with salt and pepper.

3. Roast in the oven for 45-50 minutes.

4. Allow the roasting tray to cool for 10 minutes. Add to a blender or food processor with the stock, coconut milk, balsamic vinegar and basil (including the stalks), and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning.

5. Serve with crusty bread, a grind of black pepper, and extra basil.