Roasted Tomato Soup Crispy Croutons (Printable version)

Vibrant, creamy roasted tomato soup with golden croutons for ultimate comfort.

# What You'll Need:

→ Roasted Tomato Soup

01 - 3.3 pounds ripe tomatoes, halved
02 - 1 large onion, quartered
03 - 4 cloves garlic, peeled
04 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
05 - 1 teaspoon salt
06 - ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
07 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
08 - 2 cups vegetable broth
09 - 1 tablespoon tomato paste
10 - 1 teaspoon sugar, optional
11 - ¼ cup heavy cream or coconut cream, optional

→ Crispy Croutons

12 - 4 thick slices day-old bread, cut into ¾ inch cubes
13 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
14 - ½ teaspoon garlic powder
15 - ¼ teaspoon salt
16 - Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

# How To Make:

01 - Set oven to 400°F and allow to reach temperature.
02 - Arrange halved tomatoes, onion quarters, and garlic cloves on a large baking tray. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and thyme. Toss gently to coat evenly.
03 - Roast for 30 to 35 minutes until tomatoes are caramelized and onions are soft.
04 - In a bowl, toss bread cubes with 2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Spread on a lined baking sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring once, until golden and crisp. Set aside.
05 - Transfer roasted tomatoes, onion, and garlic to a large saucepan. Add vegetable broth, tomato paste, and sugar if using. Bring to a simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes.
06 - Use an immersion blender to purée the soup until smooth. Alternatively, transfer in batches to a blender. For extra creaminess, stir in heavy cream or coconut cream. Adjust seasoning to taste.
07 - Ladle hot soup into bowls and top generously with crispy croutons. Serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It tastes restaurant-quality but comes together in about an hour with minimal hands-on time.
  • Roasting the vegetables instead of sautéing them gives you deeper flavor with almost zero babysitting.
  • The croutons are the secret weapon that turns soup from comforting into craveable.
02 -
  • Don't skip the roasting step or try to speed it up by sautéing everything in a pot; you'll miss the deep caramelization that makes this soup taste like it spent hours on the stove.
  • Make your croutons while the tomatoes roast so they're still warm when you serve, and store any extras in an airtight container where they'll stay crisp for three days (if you don't eat them first).
03 -
  • Taste as you go at the blending stage—you want the soup to taste like concentrated tomato, so add more paste if it's too watery, or more broth if it's too thick.
  • Don't throw away the last bits of roasted vegetable sticking to your baking tray; that caramelized layer is flavor gold when you scrape it into the pot.
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