If I am honest about my childhood, Fresh Tomato Soup for me came out of a can. If you are of a similar age, you know which can I am talking about. The one that contained the condensed version that required extra water to look like soup instead of a red blob.
However, it should have been tomato soup from fresh tomatoes, roasted to bring out their sweetness. This tomato soup recipe comes from garden tomatoes I buy by the box at the farmer’s market every year!
Fresh Tomato Soup from Garden Tomatoes
It is not difficult to make fresh tomato soup from garden-fresh tomatoes. Perhaps the most difficult part is actually finding enough tomatoes in one place without spending a fortune. Farmers’ Markets are the best!
Look around at the farms that are flush with tomatoes and ask if they will sell by the case. You’ll usually find that the per case price is very different than the per pound price. But you can also ask your regular grocery store about ordering and pricing by the case. Most are usually happy to help.
I keep roasted tomatoes in my freezer to use in place of canned tomatoes as long as they hold out. (We eat a lot of tomatoes!) I love the tomatoes out of a can too and they certainly require less effort but fresh tomatoes feel like a treat! And I love roasting them because it turns them so sweet – that brings something special to any recipe.
The additional benefit to roasting the tomatoes is that much of the water cooks out of the tomatoes so the soup is naturally thicker without adding anything to it.
Tomato Soup Recipe with Fresh Tomatoes
Make a huge batch of this tomato soup, freeze it in family-friendly portions or as individual servings. You will be so happy you did when Fall arrives. Of course, I live in Savannah. So Fall means 80 degrees. We eat soup whenever we want it rather than when it is cold because it is hot here 10 months a year.
This soup also makes a great lunch for school aged kids. I know that nobody wants to think about going back to school yet – at least my kids don’t – but this soup freezes and heats great. Pour it into a stainless steel thermos and it stays hot until lunch.
The advantage to Fresh Tomato Soup over other soups with noodles or rice is that there is no starch to absorb liquid and swell. Just thaw whatever you need the night before in the refrigerator. Heat the next morning, pour into a thermos and pack. Easier than making a sandwich.
Fresh Tomato Soup Recipe
Ingredients:
You’ll need 9-10 pounds of whole tomatoes that are halved and cored — that is approximately 3 quarts of tomatoes once they are roasted. You’ll also need an onion, garlic, 4 carrots that are cleaned and grated (the carrots make it a bit sweet without adding sugar. You will also want fresh basil, thyme and good chicken broth.
How to Roast Tomatoes:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
I roast tomatoes in bulk and keep them in my freezer. So I just thaw mine when I need them. If you do not, lightly oil a sheet pan (or 2 if needed). Cut in half and core all tomatoes and place them cut side down on the sheet pan.
Place pan(s) in the oven and roast until the skins are black and bubbly. About 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow them to cool until you can comfortable pinch the skins off of the tomatoes. The skins will pull off easily. Discard the skins.
Drain of the water that cooked out of the vegetables while roasting. Either discard or reserve for a different use.
How to Make Fresh Tomato Soup:
In a large Dutch oven or stock pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering but not smoking, add diced onions and grated carrots. (I just grate my carrots on a box grater.)
Add salt and pepper to taste and allow the vegetables to cook until the onions are translucent and the carrots begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and allow to cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir frequently to prevent garlic from burning.
Add roasted tomatoes and broth to the stock pot. Pulling apart the tomatoes with your hands as you add them to the pot. Add basil and thyme. (I prefer the taste of fresh herbs but have never let their absence stop me from cooking!) Stir well to combine. Allow the soup to cook for 25-30 minutes for all of the vegetables to soften and flavors to combine.
Using an immersion blender, puree the soup to your desired consistency. We like ours to remain a little chunky but if puree to smooth if that is your preference. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
Serve hot with fresh parsley for garnish!
This soup freezes incredibly well. We usually eat it for dinner when I make it then freeze the remainder in 2-3 serving portions for quick lunches during the week. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat when you need it!
More Fresh Recipes with Tomatoes
Like the idea of roasting your own tomatoes? This Marinara is easy and makes enough to fill your freezer with lots of future meals. Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup is a fun twist on tomato soup too. My kids call it pizza soup… that is what it tastes like.
- 9-10 lbs whole tomatoes, halved and cored approximately 3 quarts of roasted tomatoes
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large sweet variety onion, diced I like red onions or Vidalia onions
- 4 carrots, grated
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 tbsp dried basil 3-4 tbsp fresh basil
- 1 tbsp dried thyme 2 tbsp fresh thyme
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- TO ROAST TOMATOES: I roast tomatoes in bulk and keep them in my freezer. So I just thaw mine when I need them. If you do not, lightly oil a sheet pan (or 2 if needed). Cut in half and core all tomatoes and place them cut side down on the sheet pan. Place pan(s) in the oven and roast until the skins are black and bubbly. About 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow them to cool until you can comfortable pinch the skins off of the tomatoes. The skins will pull off easily. Discard the skins. Drain of the water that cooked out of the vegetables while roasting. Either discard or reserve for a different use.
- In a large Dutch oven or stock pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering but not smoking, add diced onions and grated carrots. (I just grate my carrots on a box grater.) Add salt and pepper to taste and allow the vegetables to cook until the onions are translucent and the carrots begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and allow to cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir frequently to prevent garlic from burning.
- Add tomatoes and broth to the stock pot. Pulling apart the tomatoes with your hands as you add them to the pot. Add basil and thyme. (I prefer the taste of fresh herbs but have never let their absence stop me from cooking!) Stir well to combine. Allow the soup to cook for 25-30 minutes for all of the vegetables to soften and flavors to combine.
- Using an immersion blender, puree the soup to your desired consistency. We like ours to remain a little chunky but if puree to smooth if that is your preference. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Serve hot with fresh parsley for garnish!
- This soup freezes incredibly well. We usually eat it for dinner when I make it then freeze the remainder in 2-3 serving portions for quick lunches during the week. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat when you need it!
Feeling Beefy? Try this Oxtail Soup Recipe too!
Overall a good recipe–easy to make and a great use of fresh garden tomatoes. I found it a little bland. But it was nothing that a little worcestershire and anchovy paste could umami up! Yummy
I made the soup can I freeze it in containers or baggies
Yes! I freeze it flat in ziploc bags!
What temperature you use to roast tomatoes?
I roast them around 500. So hot oven… but I have done it a bit lower if other things are in the oven. The big thing is you want them to turn sweet, lose some of the water, and the skin to blister so it is easy to pull off.
Can I use roma tomatoes? How many do I need for the soup?
Will try recipe