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Our easy Roasted Tomato Soup recipe is rich, cozy, and tastes just like the one from Panera Bread, only better because you made it yourself. Roasting the tomatoes brings out a natural sweetness that makes this soup taste like it simmered all day, even though it's simple enough for a weeknight.
The Best Roasted Tomato Soup
I love how fresh and healthy this roasted tomato soup recipe is (especially since we're usually serving it with some hearty grilled cheese dunkers on the side!). I like to double it for meal prep lunches or to freeze the leftovers for a seconds dinner another time.
My biggest tip is to use high quality tomatoes for best flavor! Find a fruit stand, a neighbor with an overflowing garden, or go to a high quality market (Sprouts and Trader Joes usually have good tomatoes!).
Check out more of my soup recipes, like Dumpling Soup, Potato Leek Soup, Cabbage Roll Soup, Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup, and Hungarian Goulash!
How to make Roasted Tomato Soup:
Roast the Tomatoes: Toss halved plum tomatoes with olive oil, salt, and pepper, then spread them on a baking sheet and roast until they're soft and slightly caramelized. This step is what gives the soup so much flavor, so don't skip it!
Build the Base: Sauté onions and garlic with butter and a pinch of red pepper flakes until soft, then add canned tomatoes, fresh basil, thyme, and broth along with the roasted tomatoes and all their juices. Simmer everything together so the flavors have time to blend.
Blend and Serve: Purée the soup until smooth using a blender or immersion blender, then ladle it into bowls and top with grated Parmesan. Serve with a side of cheesy bread for dunking.
Roasted Tomato Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 pounds. ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
- 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 yellow onions, chopped (about 2 cups)
- 5 cloves garlic, , minced
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 28 ounce can whole plum tomatoes, , undrained
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, , packed, then chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth, or vegetable broth
- Optional garnishes: grated parmesan, fresh basil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Toss the tomatoes with ¼ cup olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Layer on a baking sheet in a single layer. Roast in preheated oven for 45 minutes.3 pounds. ripe plum tomatoes
- Meanwhile, in a large pot over medium heat, sauté the onions and garlic with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, butter, and red pepper flakes until onion is translucent and starts to brown, about 10 minutes.2 yellow onions, 5 cloves garlic, ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Add the canned plum tomatoes, chopped basil, thyme, and chicken stock. Add the oven roasted tomatoes, including the juices from the pan.28 ounce can whole plum tomatoes, 2 cups fresh basil leaves, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth, 2 Tablespoons butter
- Bring the soup to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes, uncovered.
- Taste and add salt and pepper or more thyme or basil as needed.
- Transfer the soup to a blender or large food processor and puree until smooth.
- Serve with fresh grated parmesan cheese on top, fresh basil, and a side of cheesy bread!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I originally shared this recipe January 2017. Updated October 2020 and August 2026.
I made this recipe tonight and followed the recipe exactly as written. Wow was it delicious. After running it in my Vitamix Blender I did pour it thru a fine strainer. It came out so thick luxurious, and creamy. No need to add cream. Thankyou!! Now to prepare for the beef stew, then the clam chowder to end the week.
It’s Monday, I’m planning to serve this soup either Thursday or Friday same week. Is it too early to make this soup today?
You’re totally fine to make it on Monday for Thursday or Friday! This soup actually gets better as it sits—those roasted tomato and basil flavors just deepen over time. Just store it in the fridge in a sealed container, and reheat gently on the stove when you’re ready to serve. You might even like it more a couple days later!
This sounds really good! What if I wanted to leave out the canned tomatoes?
Haven’t tried it that way, but it should work! You might need to add more roasted tomatoes and tweak the broth and seasonings to get the right balance. Let me know how it turns out!
-Stacy
Made this roasted tomato soup tonight and it was absolutely delicious! This recipe is a keeper!
Made this for the first time and it was delicious!!! I like that it did not have cream. It was not hard, you just need to plan for the time it takes. My husband has never had tomato soup and grilled cheese combo and he has just started to eat soup. I even had extra to send home for my dad who loves soup and is recently widowed. Thank you for the recipe!
loved recipe thank you!
i’m making this right now..and was wondering would i add the cream when purreeing it?..and would it still last well with the cream in..i like more of a creamy bisque..can’t wait to try (eating)..and am making baguettes with the bread machine..yummers..hope to get a reply..ty
Sounds awesome Gail! I would add in the cream last and let it warm a bit. We have a recipe you might prefer here with cream in it!
https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/creamy-tomato-basil-parmesan-soup/#recipe
I want to do this recipe with no canned tomatoes (i.e., do it from scratch). Can I just peel fresh tomatoes? Will I need to add more liquid?
Thanks!
My kitchen smelled delicious while making this and the soup tasted even better!! Loved how easy it was to make this! This is a keeper.
This recipe is amazing. The flavors are crazy good and it’s so creamy even without any cream in it!! We aren’t really soup for dinner people but I thought I’d serve this alongside grilled cheese for our littles and it turns out this soup was the STAR of the show. They asked for seconds, wanted more tomato soup the next day and thanked me for making it lol. Keeping this one!