I firmly believe that there is nothing more comforting than a delicious bowl of homemade tomato soup. Which is a fact that still surprises me, seeing as how I absolutely hated the stuff as a kid. Thankfully, I saw the error of my ways and now it’s a complete staple at our house.
I’ve played around with many different recipes over the years, and this roasted garlic version is the latest addition to my tomato soup line-up. It is packed to the brim with flavor, yet at the same time still feels very classic.
The base of the soup is made up of a combo of sweet onion, fresh cherry tomatoes and canned fire-roasted diced tomatoes. There’s also a little bit of coconut milk involved, which helps give the soup just a touch of creaminess and offsets some of the acidity from the tomatoes.
But the real extra layer of flavor comes from the roasted garlic. Sweet, buttery roasted garlic! It adds that little something special to the soup, and not to mention makes your house smell absolutely fantastic in the process.
Now, please don’t be scared away by the cook time for the recipe. A large chunk of that time is for the garlic to roast in the oven, which is completely hands-off. And this is something that you can do in advance to save time come dinner. Roast the garlic as directed and mash it into the paste. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you are ready to use!
As for the actual soup, it only takes about 35 minutes and is quite simple to pull together. And when served with some crusty bread for dunking? It is a perfect way to welcome fall and the start of soup season!
Ingredients
For the roasted garlic:
- 1 medium head garlic
- Olive oil for drizzling
- Salt and pepper for sprinkling
For the soup:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium sweet onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 14 ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 ½ cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup canned full-fat coconut milk
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- Chopped fresh basil for serving
- Crusty bread for serving
Instructions
For the roasted garlic:
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
- Cut the top end off the head of garlic, so that the bulb remains intact and the cloves are exposed. Remove any of the papery loose outer layers. Place the garlic on a piece of aluminum foil, then drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap it in the foil then bake for about 50 to 55 minutes, until tender and the cloves are golden brown. Remove it from the oven, and once it is cool enough to handle, squeeze the cloves out of the peel, then use a fork to mash them into a paste. Measure out 1 tablespoon of the mashed garlic to use in the soup. Any extra can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
For the soup:
- Add the olive oil to a large stockpot or Dutch oven set over medium heat. When hot, add in the onion and cook for about 5 to 6 minutes, until tender. Stir in the tomato paste. Add the cherry tomatoes, diced tomatoes (with their juices), broth, coconut milk, salt, pepper, oregano and the 1 tablespoon roasted garlic to the pot. Mix to combine then bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and continue simmering for about 15 to 20 minutes, to allow the flavors to meld and the cherry tomatoes to soften and break down. Remove from the heat.
- Carefully transfer the soup to a blender and process until smooth. Return the soup to the pot. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as needed. Serve garnished with fresh basil and bread on the side for dipping.
Chantel says
Looks so good.
Abbey says
Made this tonight - was delicious! The aroma of the garlic roasting was divine and was the highlight of the soup. I added extra pepper which made it perfect. Thanks for posting the recipe!
Amber says
I tried roasting the cherry tomatoes in the oven while the garlic was roasting. It was amazing. I highly recommend adding that step.
Katie Trant says
Yum!!!
Christina says
This soup was incredible, I will definitely be making it again. My son who is not the biggest fan of tomato soup even liked it, he said it was the garlic that made it so delicious.