The Best Roasted Tomato Soup Ever

I have a recipe for tomato soup that I make every so often, and my family really enjoys it. But it’s always sort of bugged me that the recipe calls for cans of condensed tomato soup. Call me crazy, but if you’re making homemade tomato soup, shouldn’t it...not include canned tomato soup? Otherwise, why not just open the can and heat it up?

Of course, I have nothing against canned soups of any kind, especially condensed ones. But still, when I had a recent craving for tomato soup, I wanted to try a completely-from-scratch version using fresh tomatoes. Given my love of roasted tomatoes, I knew I was almost guaranteed to enjoy this recipe from Tyler Florence.

I of course made my own modifications to his original recipe (I seem physically incapable of leaving a recipe entirely alone without changing it in some way), and let me tell you guys: That soup may look really humble up there in that bowl with no garnish, but what the picture can’t reveal is how incredibly flavorful, silky, and amazing it tastes. The ingredients are so humble and simple, but they taste so rich when they’re combined. The roasted tomatoes give the soup a deep, slightly sweet, caramelized flavor. It is honestly the best tomato soup I’ve ever had – anywhere, anytime – and is without a doubt my new go-to recipe. Joe, Andrew and Will all devoured this soup, and we all had seconds. I served it with classic American-cheese-and-white-bread grilled cheese sandwiches, and it was beyond delicious.

Make this soup. I promise you will love it.

The Best Roasted Tomato Soup Ever
adapted from Tyler Florence

2 1/2 pounds fresh tomatoes (I used a mixture of cherry and Roma tomatoes)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, sliced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 bay leaves
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 quart chicken stock
1/4 to 1/2 cup heavy cream

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Wash, core and cut the tomatoes into halves. Spread the tomatoes onto a baking tray. Drizzle with 1/2 cup of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, or until caramelized.

3. Meanwhile, melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium to medium-high heat. Add onion, celery and bay leaves, season with salt and pepper, and cook until onions are translucent. Stir in garlic cloves; cook and stir 30 seconds or until garlic is fragrant.

4. Remove roasted tomatoes from the oven and transfer to the Dutch oven. Add 3/4 of the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until liquid has reduced by a third. Remove bay leaves and discard.

5. Use an immersion blender or food processor to puree the soup until smooth. Return soup to low heat, add cream and adjust consistency with remaining chicken stock, if necessary. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.