- 40 minutes
- Prep 10 minutes
- Cook 30 minutes
- Serves 4
Our own recipe. The photograph is AI-generated.
Ingredients
- 1kg ripe tomatoes (a mix of sizes is fine)
- 1 red onion, cut into wedges
- 4 garlic cloves, left whole in their skins
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt, then more to taste
- Black pepper
- 400ml hot vegetable stock
- 20g fresh basil, plus small leaves to serve
- To serve: 4 teaspoons olive oil, to drizzle
Let's cook
- Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan). Cut the tomatoes in half (into quarters for big ones) and spread them cut side up in a large roasting tin with the onion wedges and garlic cloves.
- Drizzle over the oil, then sprinkle with the thyme, sugar, salt and a good grind of pepper. The little sugar balances the sharpness of the tomatoes.
- Roast for 25 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft, wrinkled and catching a little at the edges, and the onion is tender.
- Squeeze the soft garlic out of its skins into a large pan and throw the skins away. Scrape in everything from the roasting tin, including the juices and any sticky brown bits, which carry a lot of flavour.
- Add the hot stock and the basil. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
- Blend until smooth with a stick blender, or carefully in a jug blender in batches. For a silky soup, push it through a sieve with the back of a ladle to take out the skins and seeds.
- Taste and add more salt if needed. Ladle into warm bowls, drizzle each with a teaspoon of olive oil and finish with a few small basil leaves.
Tips
- Use the ripest tomatoes you can find. In winter, cherry tomatoes usually have the most flavour.
- The soup keeps in the fridge for 3 days or the freezer for 3 months. Reheat until steaming hot.
Swaps
- Smoky: add half a teaspoon of smoked paprika before roasting.
- Creamy: swirl in a spoon of oat cream (vegan; check it is gluten free) or single cream (contains milk).
- With bread: serve crusty bread on the side, which adds gluten.
Tags
In Autumn comfort, Plant powered.
None of the 14 allergens is in this recipe as written. Stock cubes and pots can contain celery, gluten or milk, so check the packet.
Check every packet for allergens.