When I think about comfort food combinations, grilled cheese and tomato soup is definitely towards the top of that list. Its such a classic pairing and for good reason, but usually, the grilled cheese gets most of the attention and the tomato soup comes from a can.
Now, although there are definitely good uses for canned soup, I think a buttery grilled cheese deserves a more delicious bff and this roasted tomato garlic and herb soup is exactly that.
In under an hour, with only about 5 minutes of actual “work”, you will be dipping your grilled cheese into an incredibly flavorful tomato soup that will make you want to leave your can opener in the drawer from now on.
Let’s get started…
The ingredients for this soup are simple and everything comes together on one baking sheet and transferred directly into a blender, so there is no need to stand over a skillet baby sitting… there is actually no need for a skillet at all!
Begin by slicing 2 pounds or 8 large roma tomatoes in half and slice up 2 medium yellow onions. Slice the top off of a bulb of garlic to expose the tops of each clove and separate a few sprigs of fresh thyme and oregano.
Place everything on a baking sheet with the tomatoes cut side up and the onion slices loosened and spread out a bit. Set the bulb of garlic cut side up and add the herbs.
Drizzle everything with about a quarter of a cup of olive oil. Be sure to get a little olive oil over the garlic bulb. Add a large pinch of salt and black pepper over everything and then add about 2 tablespoons of brown sugar over the onions. The brown sugar will help the onions caramelize beautifully in the oven.
Roast the tomatoes, onions and garlic in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes. Although you can technically leave everything alone for the entire duration of the roast, giving the onions a little toss a few times will both help them caramelize evenly and will help to prevent the brown sugar from burning on the baking sheet.
Look at how beautifully everything has caramelized. The onions are golden brown and the tomatoes are blistered and beautiful. You can see that the cloves of garlic are also golden brown and are easily removed by simply squeezing the bulb over a bowl and allowing them to fall right out.
As soon as you pull everything out of the oven, remove the thyme and oregano and carefully transfer the tomatoes and onions into a blender along with as many cloves of the roasted garlic as you want. I add all of them, but you can always add just a few and then add more later, if you prefer.
In addition to the tomatoes, onions and garlic, add 2 tablespoons of butter, 2 cups of broth (vegetable or chicken), 6-8 fresh basil leaves and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes.
Blend the ingredients until it is mostly smooth and then give it a quick taste. Add additional salt, black pepper or crushed red pepper flakes, if necessary. You can also add more broth if you prefer your soups consistency to be a little thinner.
This roasted tomato garlic and herb soup is absolutely delicious. There is so many beautiful flavors going on here. Roasting vegetables brings the best out of them and the delicious flavors in this soup is proof that you do not need to stand over the stove for hours in order to develop rich, comforting layers of flavor.
Simply roast, blend and enjoy! We all love grilled cheese, but this tomato soup will be giving it a run for its money…
Creamy Roasted Tomato & Parmesan Soup
Ingredients
- 8 large roma tomatoes (2 pounds), halved
- 2 medium yellow onions, peeled and sliced
- a medium bulb of garlic, top removed
- 1/4 cup of olive oil
- salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
- several sprigs of fresh thyme and oregano (or a teaspoon of dried italian herbs)
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 2-3 cups of broth (vegetable or chicken)
- 1/2 cup of heavy cream
- a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup of parmesan, finely shredded or grated
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
- Place the halved tomatoes, sliced onions and garlic bulb (cut side up) on a large baking sheet
- Drizzle 1/4 cup of olive oil over everything, toss to coat and season generously with salt and black pepper
- Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of brown sugar over the onions and add the fresh thyme and oregano
- Roast the tomatoes, onions and garlic for 45 minutes (flip the onions several times to ensure even caramelization)
- Remove the thyme and oregano and transfer the roasted tomatoes and caramelized onions into a blender
- Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of the bulb and place them in the blender
- Add 2 tablespoons of butter, 1/2 cup of heavy cream, 2 cups of vegetable stock, a pinch of red pepper flakes and 1/2 cup of finely shredded parmesan into the blender
- Blend until smooth
- Add more broth, salt, pepper or crushed red pepper flakes, if necessary
- Enjoy!
