It’s the first day of Fall and I know exactly what you need.
A Snuggie, so you and your family can snug on the couch watching all your new favourite Fall shows.
That poor dog.
Why do I get the feeling that you are all sitting at your computer right now with one on?
Don’t worry, it’s our little secret.
Just please don’t tell me you’re naked under that thing.
You might also need a new O.P.I. nail polish.
Perhaps, a Pumpkin Pie Smoothie.
and Soup.
Definitely soup.
Before this roasted tomato soup happened, soup and I were not on speaking terms.
A couple week’s ago, I made a coconut milk, sweet potato, and cinnamon soup and I just couldn’t get the flavour exactly how I wanted it. It was yuk. And I made myself finish it. Now I don’t want to look at another sweet potato again.
As I thought about what went wrong with the sweet potato soup, I realized it needed a kick of heat. The ingredients were all sweet (cinnamon, nutmeg, sweet potato, coconut milk, etc) and the flavour lacked depth and contrast. I think the soup would have been wonderful with a kick of Indian spices so I will have to try that next time.
Instead of making another sweet potato soup, I decided to take this lesson and apply it to a roasted tomato and garlic soup. It’s really, really hard to go wrong with roasted tomatoes, as I discovered with the Roasted Tomato Basil Pesto, so I was pretty confident it would be successful.
I grabbed 5 pounds of beautiful roma tomatoes.
I made extra so I could make another batch of pesto with the leftovers! I encourage you to do the same because I have a delicious pizza recipe coming up using the pesto.
I prepped the tomatoes, sweet onion, and garlic for roasting.
And everything got roasted at once!
The oven was on for about 1 hour and 25 minutes total at 375-400F, with the tomatoes taking the longest and the onions taking the least amount of time.
I added some of the roasted vegetables (along with 2 tbsp of roasted garlic), vegetable broth, a can of light coconut milk, S & P, and garam masala (<—the heat!)
I knew that this soup was going to be a game changer because the broth was mind blowing.
I blended it (only 3 seconds!) to leave it chunky. You can also use an immersion blender if you have one.
There is so much depth of flavour in this soup it made my head spin! It didn’t need any second trials, no second guessing…it just worked.
Roasted Tomato, Garlic, & Onion Coconut Soup
Yield
6 cups
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
This tomato soup is anything but traditional, boring, or bland and it’s definitely one of the best homemade soups I have made to date. The light coconut milk is a great way to add a luxurious creaminess, pairing well with the heat from the garam masala and adding a nice contrast to the rustic quality of the roasted vegetables. I will make this again and again!
Ingredients
For the Roasted Vegetables
- 5 pounds of roma tomatoes, washed & sliced in half
- 1 large sweet onion, peeled & sliced
- 2-3 large garlic bulbs, prepared for roasting
- extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt, & pepper, for vegetables
For the Soup
- 3 cups roasted tomatoes
- 2 tbsp roasted garlic flesh
- all of the roasted sweet onion
- 1 can light coconut milk (reserve 2-3 tbsp for garnish)
- 3 cups vegetable broth (I used low-sodium)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp garam masala (add slowly, to taste)
- 1 tsp salt or to taste (you may have to reduce amount. if you used full-sodium broth)
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
For garnish (optional)
- garlic croutons
- coconut milk
- pesto
- herbs
- garam masala
- pepper
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400°F and line 2 baking sheets with tin foil (note that parchment paper will burn). Grab a small casserole dish to place the garlic in. For how to prepare the garlic, see this tutorial. Lightly drizzle on EVOO onto onions and season onions and tomatoes with S & P. Roast for about 30 minutes and then check on the vegetables. You might have to remove the onions early as they cook the quickest. When the onions are golden and lightly blackened on the edge, you can remove them. Continue roasting the garlic for about 60 minutes or so (check it after 45mins), and the tomatoes for about 1 hour and 20 mins. Your oven times will vary though, so keep an eye on them!
- Add 3 cups roasted tomatoes, 2 tbsp roasted garlic flesh, and all the onion into a large pot. Add coconut milk, tomato paste, and broth and stir well.
- Stir in the seasonings and spices to taste. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 5-10 minutes.
- Carefully transfer into a blender, processor, or use an immersion blender. Pulse for just a few seconds until chunky. You can also make it smooth, but I liked the texture. Serve immediately and garnish with reserved coconut milk, a sprinkle of garam masala, croutons/bread, and fresh black pepper.
If you think that forgoing animal products means that you will never get to have a cream-based soup…think again! This soup was rich & creamy thanks to the coconut milk, but not weighed-down or heavy in any way.
It is super filling, but light at the same time.
How is that even possible?
I told you, your head will spin.
You can use the leftover roasted tomato and garlic to make the Roasted Tomato Basil Pesto for a pizza recipe I have coming up…it’s made with a crispy buckwheat and almond meal flatbread crust. Coming up!
Oh and my new Fall-themed header is coming at ya, today or tomorrow.
Have a great start to your weekend!
I make this about once or twice a year, just because it is so incredibly delicious that I don’t want to spoil it. Also, great for tomato season right now! Hands down the best tomato soup there is.
Thanks so much for the recipe love, Ida! Enjoy tomato season :)
I made the mistake of using cheap canned coconut milk, which gave the soup a horrible plastic taste. Otherwise it would’ve been delicious! (And I even used canned roasted tomatoes.)
Hey Deb, Oh I hope your next trial goes a bit better when using a different coconut milk. Glad to hear it worked with canned roasted tomatoes..I need to try this!
Love, love this soup! I have made it many times. So great to make in September because of the garden tomatoes. I have lots of tomatoes. Have you ever made this soup and frozen it?
Thanks for all of your recipes and insights. I rec your website all the time : )
Hi Ann, I’m so happy you love this soup so much. I haven’t tried freezing it, but I assume that it should freeze well. I have yet to encounter a soup that doesn’t! :)
Hi there, I’m excited to try this but wondering the coconut milk should be sweetened or unsweetened? Thanks!
Hi Catherine, it should be unsweetened…hope this helps!
I recently tried a delicious combination of this soup with pita chips, and it was a delightful experience! The warm, comforting soup paired perfectly with the crunchy texture of the Pita chips. Each bite was a lovely blend of flavors and textures, making it a satisfying and comforting meal. It’s a combination I’ll be enjoying again soon!