Roasted Tomato Soup With Crispy Croutons (Printable)

Vibrant, velvety soup with caramelized tomatoes and golden croutons for ultimate comfort.

# What You Need:

→ Roasted Tomato Soup

01 - 3.3 lbs ripe tomatoes, halved
02 - 1 large onion, quartered
03 - 4 cloves garlic, peeled
04 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
05 - 1 teaspoon salt
06 - 0.5 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 - 0.25 cup heavy cream or coconut cream, optional

→ Crispy Croutons

12 - 4 thick slices day-old bread, cut into 0.75 inch cubes
13 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
14 - 0.5 teaspoon garlic powder
15 - 0.25 teaspoon salt
16 - Freshly ground black pepper to taste

# How To Make It:

01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F.
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 Tips:

01 -
  • The roasting caramelizes the tomatoes in a way that deepens the flavor so completely you'll swear you added something fancy (but it's just time and heat).
  • Homemade croutons actually taste like bread, not those stale cubes from a bag, and they stay crispy even when they touch the soup.
  • It comes together in under an hour and feels impressive enough to serve to people without revealing how easy it really was.
02 -
  • Don't skip roasting the vegetables—a shortcut of cooking raw tomatoes in broth creates soup that tastes thin and one-dimensional, while roasting builds layers of caramelized sweetness that make people ask for the recipe.
  • Timing your croutons matters because they soften quickly in soup; make them just before serving or store them separately and add them only when someone is about to eat, which means you might make fresh ones for seconds.
03 -
  • Buy tomatoes that smell like tomatoes—the smell is the first sign of flavor, so avoid the pale, scentless ones that taste like disappointment.
  • Let day-old bread dry out slightly before making croutons, or skip them entirely for a single day and make them fresh the next time because fresh bread croutons turn soggy within minutes.
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