Roasted Tomato Soup with Thyme Croutons

This colourful roasted tomato soup is simplicity itself to make. Served with garlic and thyme croutons, its delicious served hot cold.

As soon as the weather takes a turn for the worse, like many people I turn to bowls of warming soup to cheer me up. It’s a perfect comfort food and it is also really simple to make, so ideal for midweek meals.

However it is worth noting this soup is also delicious served cold so good for summer months too.

While a plain soup can taste delicious it is often the garnish that can turn it into something really special. So to enhance the flavour of this easy roasted tomato soup I have added delicious crunchy garlic and thyme flavoured croutons.

Tomatoes – the main ingredient

Tomatoes are in fact a fruit, but their affinity for other savoury ingredients means that they are usually classed as a vegetable and they make a delicious low cal soup.

Tomatoes are available all year round, with the varieties changing from season to season. The British tomato season runs from June to October, which is the perfect time for making this soup.

With such humble ingredients, it is essential that you use the best. If your tomatoes are tasteless then the soup is not going to have much flavour even with the roasting. So use the most flavourful tomatoes you can get. You won’t regret it.

Tomatoes have the best, flavour if they’ve been allowed to ripen on the vine before they’ve been picked So I use vine tomatoes for this soup. Look for firm tomatoes with wrinkle-free skins and a noticeable tomato smell.

The fresher they are the better it will taste, so try to seek out locally grown tomatoes if possible. The leafy tops are a good sign of freshness, if they are shrivelled and dry then you know the tomato is not at its freshest.

Making the Soup

The soup is simplicity itself to make. Roasting the tomatoes together with some onion wedges and thyme really brings out and concentrates the flavour of the tomato.

Then it’s just a case of simmering for a short time with a little stock and blitzing until smooth. If you want a really smooth soup then you can strain through a sieve but personally I think life is too short for that

I like to use homemade stock but sometimes that’s not always possible so I use an organic vegetable stock cube instead.

Check out my Souper Tips for Tasty Soups For more ideas for garnishes, soup recipes and tips for making perfect soup.

Roasted Tomato Soup with Thyme Croutons Step by Step

Print Recipe

5 from 4 votes

Roasted Tomato Soup with thyme croutons

A delicious easy to make soup which can be served hot or cold. Served with crunchy garlic and thyme croutons

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time55 mins

Course: light lunch, Soup, starter

Cuisine: British

Keyword: easy, hot or cold, tomatoes,

Servings: 4

Calories: 155kcal

Author: Jacqueline Bellefontaine

Ingredients

Soup:

• 900 g vine ripened tomatoes halved
• 1 onion peeled and cut into wedges
• few sprigs fresh thyme
• extra virgin olive oil plus extra for drizzling
• 900 ml good vegetable or chicken stock
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Croutons:

• 8 thin slices French bread
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic chopped
• few sprigs fresh thyme

Instructions

To Make the soup

• Preheat the oven to 190℃ (170℃ fan)/375°F/gas mark 5.
• Arrange 900g (2lb) tomato halved and 1 onion cut into wedges in a single layer on an oiled baking sheet. Scatter the thyme on top.
• Drizzle with a little olive oil and roast for 40 minutes until softened and beginning to char.
• Transfer to a saucepan and add 900ml (1½pt) stock, simmer gently for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile make the croutons.

• Place 1 clove of chopped garlic and the leaves from a few sprigs of thyme into a pestle and mortar and season with salt and pepper. Pound to blend, then add 3 tbsp extra vrigin olive oil.
• Brush the flavoured oil over both sides of the bread. Place on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes until crisp and golden.

To serve

• Whiz the soup in a food processor blender or using a stick blender. Strain through a sieve if desired. Reheat gently, season to taste and serve with the thyme croutons and an extra drizzle of olive oil.

Notes

The soup will keep in the fridge for several days and can be frozen for up to 6 months.

Nutrition information is calculated using an online nutrition database – is approximate and is meant as a guideline only. (It does not include seasoning with salt and pepper.)

Nutrition

Calories: 155kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 13mg | Potassium: 573mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1874IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg

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