Spoonful of Sugar Free

Registered Dietitian

Roasted Tomato and Garlic Soup

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 I have a confession: I’m not a huge fan of tomatoes.

Don’t get me wrong, I love tomatoes on certain things, and I love roasted tomatoes! I like salsa and tomato sauce, and I even like a couple slices of fresh tomato on my sandwich. There’s just something about a raw tomato, though, that I don’t like. The flavor, the texture: I don’t know, but I don’t really like it.

When I saw a recipe for a chilled tomato soup, I should have known I wouldn’t like it. I tried it anyway, and it was, well, okay. I couldn’t really choke down more than a few spoonfuls. If your a fan of raw tomatoes, though, I’m sure you would love it!

I didn’t want to waste the soup, so I simply heated it up with more than a sprinkle of fresh basil.

I had tomato on the mind, though, and about 5 pounds worth sitting on the counter due to a recent organic co-op basket. Therefore, I attempted to make tomato soup again. Not just regular tomato basil soup, but a roasted tomato soup made with roasted garlic and onions, too. Roasting tomatoes, onions, and garlic brings out the flavor of the ingredients and adds a bit of smokiness to the mix. In order to compliment this smokiness, I turned to smoked paprika as the seasoning. So make no mistake, this is no spaghetti sauce. This is tomato soup.

I didn’t add any extra liquid because the tomatoes were still juicy enough on their own to blend. I wanted the soup to stay thick, too, and I didn’t want to dilute the tomato flavor by adding any cream. Instead, a drizzle of olive oil added while blending keeps the soup smooth and creamy without the extra cream.

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Roasted Tomato and Garlic Soup

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Yield: 4 servings

Calories per serving: 145

Roasted Tomato and Garlic Soup

~This roasted tomato and garlic soup is creamy and rich without added cream products. It is also gluten-free, dairy-free, corn-free, soy-free, paleo, vegan, and sugar-free.

Ingredients

  • 3 lb tomatoes
  • 1 large red/yellow onion
  • 8 cloves garlic
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon each of smoked paprika, ground black pepper, and salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400*.
  2. Slice tomatoes in 1/4 inch rounds. Peel onion and slice in 1/4 inch rounds.
  3. Lay tomato and onion slices flat on a large baking sheet. You may need 2 cookie sheets to fit all the slices. Place the un-peeled cloves of garlic on baking sheet, too.
  4. Roast the tomatoes, onions, and garlic for 30 minutes, and then take out garlic cloves. Continue to roast onions and tomatoes for an additional 15 minutes (45 minutes total). Tomatoes and onions should be browned. *If using more than one baking sheet, rotate sheets halfway through cooking time. Let cool for 10 minutes before blending.
  5. Peel garlic cloves' skin off.
  6. In a blender or food processor, combine roasted tomatoes, onions, and garlic with smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Blend until completely smooth.
  7. With blender still on, slowly drizzle olive oil into tomato mix in a slow stream. This process helps make soup extra creamy and rich without adding dairy products.
  8. Serve soup hot (also tastes great cold if you are in the mood for a cold soup!) with an extra dash of ground black pepper.
https://www.spoonfulofsugarfree.com/2012/07/30/roasted-tomato-and-garlic-soup/

Health Benefits:

  • Tomato: Best known for its high lycopene content. Lycopene is a carotenoid that may reduce incidences of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and macular degeneration. Tomatoes are especially high in vitamin C and A as well.
  • Garlic: Garlic is a strong flavor with large contents of antioxidants that can help prevent aging by blocking free radicals. It can also help reduce blood pressure and high cholesterol levels. It can also be used as a natural antibiotic because it has the ability to kill “bad” bacteria in the body.
  • Olive Oil: A good source of Omega-3 oil, which can help lower bad cholesterol. It also helps promote clear and healthy skin, nails, and hair.

Thought-provoking, mind-prodding question of the day:

Are you a fan of raw tomatoes? Or do you like them better roasted, too? What’s your favorite way to eat tomatoes?

Reader Interactions

Comments

  5. I’m not much of a tomato lover either. But tomato soup is great- even, and especially, in summer time when tomatoes are fresh!