Creamy Tomato Roasted Garlic (Printable version)
Velvety blend of slow-roasted garlic, ripe tomatoes, and cream offers rich, comforting flavor for chilly days.
# What You'll Need:
→ Vegetables
01 - 2 lbs ripe tomatoes, halved
02 - 1 large yellow onion, chopped
03 - 1 carrot, peeled and diced
04 - 1 celery stalk, diced
05 - 1 head garlic, top sliced off
→ Fats & Liquids
06 - 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
07 - 3 cups vegetable broth
08 - 1/2 cup heavy cream
→ Seasonings
09 - 1 tsp salt, or to taste
10 - 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
11 - 1/2 tsp dried thyme
12 - 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
→ Garnish (optional)
13 - Fresh basil leaves
14 - Drizzle of olive oil or extra cream
# How to Prepare:
01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange tomatoes cut side up and sliced head of garlic on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
02 - Roast for 30 minutes until tomatoes are soft and garlic is golden and aromatic. Allow to cool slightly.
03 - Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes until softened.
04 - Squeeze roasted garlic cloves from skins into the pot. Add roasted tomatoes with juices, thyme, and crushed red pepper flakes if using.
05 - Pour in vegetable broth and bring mixture to a simmer. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
06 - Remove from heat and blend soup until smooth using an immersion blender or countertop blender in batches, allowing to cool slightly if needed.
07 - Return blended soup to pot. Stir in heavy cream and gently reheat without boiling. Adjust seasoning to taste.
08 - Ladle hot soup into bowls. Garnish with fresh basil and a drizzle of olive oil or extra cream as desired.
# Expert advice:
01 -
- Roasting the garlic mellows it into something buttery and sweet that you can actually squeeze straight into the pot.
- The whole thing comes together in just an hour, but tastes like you've been tending it all day.
- It's naturally vegetarian, cream-based enough to feel indulgent, and honestly hard to mess up.
02 -
- Roasting the tomatoes and garlic first is the whole secret—it concentrates flavor in a way quick cooking never will.
- Add the cream after blending, not before, or it can break and separate if the soup gets too hot.
03 -
- Choose tomatoes that feel heavy for their size and smell strongly of tomato—that's where the flavor lives.
- If your blender is loud and scares you, an immersion blender makes this quieter and somehow more peaceful.