Ingredients Print

Check off ingredients as you go

• 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) ripe tomatoes, peeled (Roma or vine tomatoes, for example)
• 1 medium red onion, cut into quarters
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 3-4 Tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 500 ml (2 cups) vegetable stock (or water)
• 1 Tbsp sugar (if needed, to balance the acidity)
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 sprig fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme or oregano
• a few fresh basil leaves for garnish (optional)
• A little cream or coconut cream (optional, for serving)

If you change the number of serving, consider adjusting cooking times!

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Prepare the tomatoes: peel them, cut them in half and place them on a baking sheet, cut side up. Add the onion quarters and garlic cloves around the tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper (sprinkle on the sugar now if your tomatoes are a little underripe) and scatter the thyme over the vegetables. In the photo, you can see that I also added a few sprigs of basil flowers to add fragrance while roasting; I take them out after the vegetables come out of the oven.

2. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, until the tomatoes are very tender and lightly caramelized. Transfer the roasted tomatoes, the onion and the garlic (squeezed out of its skin) to a blender, or to a saucepan if you are using an immersion blender. Add half of the vegetable stock (or water), the balsamic vinegar and the sugar (if you didn’t add it earlier). Blend until smooth. Add the rest of the stock gradually until you reach the texture you like.

3. Reheat the soup in the saucepan over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes, adjusting the seasoning as needed. Serve hot with a drizzle of cream or coconut cream for a touch of richness. Garnish with fresh basil leaves.

This soup is perfect with croutons, toasted bread or focaccia.

For cheesy croutons: top two slices of bread with shredded mozzarella, close them up with two more slices, then melt a little butter in a skillet and brown the sandwiches, pressing down on them so the cheese melts. Flip and brown the other side. Cut into cubes and serve with the soup.

Variations

• Add 1/2 chili pepper to roast along with the other vegetables.
• Swap the basil for cilantro.
• Out of season, or if you’re short on tomatoes, you can replace some of them with good-quality crushed tomatoes (such as Mutti Polpa).