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Next level tomato soup

Tomato soup drizzled with basil oil and topped with croutons, served in two bowls

Next level tomato soup

Name: Next level tomato soup
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1.2kg ripe tomatoes of your choice (we like plum), halved; 6 garlic cloves sliced; ½ red chilli sliced (optional); 30g golden caster sugar; 1 tsp dried oregano; 100ml red wine vinegar; 100ml olive oil; 1 large bunch of basil; 2 onions sliced; 400ml vegetable stock; 200g white bread sourdough or another whole loaf (slightly stale bread works well), crusts trimmed away; 2 tbsp olive oil; 10g parmesan or vegetarian alternative, finely grated (optional)

Barney Desmazery

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Serves 6

More effort

Prep: 30 mins

Cook: 1 hr and 30 mins

A star rating of 4.3 out of 5.22 ratingsRate

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Let the flavour of tomatoes shine through in our ultimate tomato soup. To get the best from tomatoes, we've used every trick we know to boost their flavour

Freezable

Healthy

Vegetarian

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Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

1.2kg ripe tomatoes

of your choice (we like plum), halved
6 garlic cloves

sliced
½ red chilli

sliced (optional)
30g golden caster sugar
1 tsp dried oregano
100ml red wine vinegar
100ml olive oil
1 large bunch of basil
2 onions

sliced
400ml vegetable stock

For the croutons (optional)

200g white bread

sourdough or another whole loaf (slightly stale bread works well), crusts trimmed away
2 tbsp olive oil
10g parmesan

or vegetarian alternative, finely grated (optional)

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Nutrition: Per serving

kcal236

low
fat17g
saturates2g
carbs16g
sugars14g
fibre4g
protein3g
salt0.2g

Method

step 1

Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Line a large, shallow roasting tin with baking parchment and arrange the tomatoes in the tin, cut-side up. Season generously with salt, then scatter with the garlic, chilli (if using), 1 tsp of the sugar and the oregano. Drizzle with 1 tbsp of the vinegar and 1 tbsp of the olive oil. Roast for 45 mins until the tomatoes are shrivelled and have released plenty of juice.
step 2

If making the croutons, tear the bread into small pieces and tip onto a baking tray. Drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil and scatter with the parmesan, if using. Toss to coat the bread in the oil and cheese. Bake alongside the tomatoes for 20-25 mins, tossing a few times until golden and crunchy. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Will keep in an airtight container for a day.
step 3

Meanwhile, set aside a large handful of basil leaves, reserving the stalks and remaining sprigs. Heat another 2 tbsp olive oil in a saucepan or frying pan over a medium-low heat and cook the onions with a little salt for 20 mins until soft and sticky. Stir in the rest of the sugar, then pour over the remaining vinegar. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 3-5 mins until the onions have broken down a little and the liquid is syrupy.
step 4

Tip the tomatoes, along with their roasting juices, into the pan with the onions, then pour in the stock and scatter over the basil stalks and whole sprigs. Stir well and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 mins until the tomatoes have broken down into a chunky sauce. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly, then tip everything into a food processor or blender and blitz until the soup is as smooth as you like. Or, use a hand blender (you may need to blitz the soup in batches). For an even smoother soup, you can pass it through a sieve, if you like. Once completely cool, the soup will keep chilled in a non-metallic airtight container for up to three days or frozen for up to three months.
step 5

Crush the reserved basil leaves with a pinch of salt to a paste using a pestle and mortar. Stir this into the remaining olive oil to make a bright green basil oil. Tip the soup into a clean pan and reheat until piping hot, then ladle into bowls. Drizzle with the basil oil, then scatter with the cheesy, crunchy croutons, if using.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, September 2022

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A star rating of 4.3 out of 5.22 ratings

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