Roasting a whole garlic bulb until caramelized converts its sharp bite into mellow sweetness, the secret behind this soup's depth.
Roasted Tomato Soup
Roasted vegetables blended with broth, herbs, and optional light sour cream.
Prep
0
min
Cook
25
min
Serves
4
people
Level
beginner
The Story
Spain's gazpacho-loving peasants roasted their tomatoes centuries before Andy Warhol made Campbell's famous, but this version owes its backbone to 1980s Provençal farmhouse cooks who threw whole garlic bulbs into wood ovens alongside peppers, proving that French rusticity and Mediterranean simplicity could outclass any tin can from New Jersey.
Regional Twist
In Andalusia's Seville province, cooks swap the bone broth for chilled almond milk and skip the oven entirely, turning this into a cold salmorejo-style soup where the roasted red bell pepper still adds smoky depth against raw garlic's bite.
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(3)
- A handful of fresh basil, or 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 whole garlic bulb
- 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
🥛Dairy & Eggs(1)
- 2 Tbsp light sour cream, optional
🫙Pantry Staples(3)
- 2 cups bone broth
- Olive oil, for drizzling (about 1 Tbsp)
- 6 tomatoes, chopped
🧂Spices & Seasonings(5)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
117
Protein
7g
Carbs
14g
Fat
5g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Heat the oven to 425°F. Place the tomatoes, bell pepper, and whole garlic bulb on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.
- 2
Roast for about 25 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and lightly browned. Let the garlic cool enough to handle, then squeeze the roasted cloves from their skins.
- 3
Transfer the roasted vegetables and garlic to a blender. Add the bone broth, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, salt, and fresh basil (if using). Blend until smooth. Work in batches if needed, and follow your blender’s directions for hot liquids.
- 4
For a creamier soup, blend in the light sour cream. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve warm.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Roast tomatoes at 425°F for exactly 25 minutes until the skin splits and edges char darkly, because this concentrates sugars through evaporation and develops 2-3x more umami compounds via the Maillard reaction compared to simmering.timing425°F, 25 minutes
- ✓Roast the garlic bulb whole and unpeeled alongside tomatoes rather than minced, because the papery skin insulates cloves and converts harsh allicin into sweet, mild compounds through gentle heat diffusion over 25 minutes.techniqueWhole bulb, 25 minutes
- ✓Let roasted soup cool to 140°F before blending to prevent steam pressure buildup in the blender; hot liquid expands to 1.5x volume and can crack the container or eject the lid.techniqueCool to 140°F
- ✓Blend in batches filling the blender only 50% full, because steam from hot liquid needs expansion room—overfilled blenders trap pressure and risk violent steam release.technique50% full per batch
- ✓Add garlic powder (1 tsp) after blending rather than before roasting, because roasted garlic already provides savory depth; pre-roasting garlic powder creates bitter, sulfurous notes from prolonged heat exposure.ingredientPost-blend addition
Share this recipe
Prep
0
min
Cook
25
min
Serves
4
people
Level
beginner
Share this recipe
Roasting a whole garlic bulb until caramelized converts its sharp bite into mellow sweetness, the secret behind this soup's depth.
Roasted Tomato Soup
Roasted vegetables blended with broth, herbs, and optional light sour cream.
The Story
Spain's gazpacho-loving peasants roasted their tomatoes centuries before Andy Warhol made Campbell's famous, but this version owes its backbone to 1980s Provençal farmhouse cooks who threw whole garlic bulbs into wood ovens alongside peppers, proving that French rusticity and Mediterranean simplicity could outclass any tin can from New Jersey.
Regional Twist
In Andalusia's Seville province, cooks swap the bone broth for chilled almond milk and skip the oven entirely, turning this into a cold salmorejo-style soup where the roasted red bell pepper still adds smoky depth against raw garlic's bite.
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(3)
- A handful of fresh basil, or 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 whole garlic bulb
- 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
🥛Dairy & Eggs(1)
- 2 Tbsp light sour cream, optional
🫙Pantry Staples(3)
- 2 cups bone broth
- Olive oil, for drizzling (about 1 Tbsp)
- 6 tomatoes, chopped
🧂Spices & Seasonings(5)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
117
Protein
7g
Carbs
14g
Fat
5g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Heat the oven to 425°F. Place the tomatoes, bell pepper, and whole garlic bulb on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.
- 2
Roast for about 25 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and lightly browned. Let the garlic cool enough to handle, then squeeze the roasted cloves from their skins.
- 3
Transfer the roasted vegetables and garlic to a blender. Add the bone broth, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, salt, and fresh basil (if using). Blend until smooth. Work in batches if needed, and follow your blender’s directions for hot liquids.
- 4
For a creamier soup, blend in the light sour cream. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve warm.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Roast tomatoes at 425°F for exactly 25 minutes until the skin splits and edges char darkly, because this concentrates sugars through evaporation and develops 2-3x more umami compounds via the Maillard reaction compared to simmering.timing425°F, 25 minutes
- ✓Roast the garlic bulb whole and unpeeled alongside tomatoes rather than minced, because the papery skin insulates cloves and converts harsh allicin into sweet, mild compounds through gentle heat diffusion over 25 minutes.techniqueWhole bulb, 25 minutes
- ✓Let roasted soup cool to 140°F before blending to prevent steam pressure buildup in the blender; hot liquid expands to 1.5x volume and can crack the container or eject the lid.techniqueCool to 140°F
- ✓Blend in batches filling the blender only 50% full, because steam from hot liquid needs expansion room—overfilled blenders trap pressure and risk violent steam release.technique50% full per batch
- ✓Add garlic powder (1 tsp) after blending rather than before roasting, because roasted garlic already provides savory depth; pre-roasting garlic powder creates bitter, sulfurous notes from prolonged heat exposure.ingredientPost-blend addition