Roasted Tomato Soup
We take a LOT of food pictures here at the Foods with Judes' headquarters (currently in our make-shift kitchen studio). We recently did a shoot starring heirloom tomatoes. A couple days later we were still swimming in lovely tomatoes, and their prime time was coming to an end. There were a few suggestions of what we could make with them, but the thought of making tomato soup caught my creative interest and my appetite!
I've made this soup three times now and can't wait to make it again. It has an explosion of flavor and tastes so fresh without the heaviness of cream. It has a smooth, substantial consistency, thanks to the white beans puréed into the soup. Beans also help boost protein! You may want to double the recipe to use the whole can of white beans.
The recipe is simple: just throw roughly cut tomatoes, onions, and a whole garlic bulb (with the top cut off) out on a sheet pan, drizzle olive oil on top, and roast. Purée roasted tomatoes, onions, and garlic with cooked white beans, herbs and seasonings. I added a tiny bit of baking soda to neutralize the acidity of the tomatoes. Careful when measuring baking soda, if you use too much it leaves a bitter aftertaste. Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and enjoy.
Roasted Tomato Soup
Ingredients
- 8 -10 medium to large tomatoes, roughly cut
- 1 large onion
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil (not extra virgin)
- I whole bulb or head of garlic
- 1 tsp kosher or sea salt (more or less per taste) and pepper to taste
- 3/4 cup white beans, drained and rinsed if using canned
- Fresh thyme (optional)
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 1 cup fresh basil, cut
- 0-3 cups low-sodium vegetable stock or broth (if needed for consistency)
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- Romano or Parmesan cheese, freshly grated for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400˚ F. Roughly chop tomatoes and onion. spread out on a large sheet pan with sides or roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil.
- Slice off the top of the head of garlic so that the cloves are exposed. Drizzle exposed cloves with olive oil and place cut side down on pan with tomatoes and onions and place pan in hot oven.
- Roast the tomatoes, onion and garlic until the tomatoes are starting to brown and the garlic is tender, about 40 to 50 minutes. Remove from oven.
- Spoon or slide tomatoes and onions into a blender with salt, pepper, white beans, seasonings, and fresh herbs. Squeeze the cloves of garlic from the head into the blender. Puree until smooth.
- Transfer the soup into a pot and add vegetable stock or broth if a thinner consistency is desired. Add 1/8 tsp of baking soda to neutralize the acidity of the tomatoes and stir. Bring to a boil and then simmer on low for about 20 minutes.
- Divide the soup into bowls and top with the freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese and fresh thyme. Enjoy!
