Creamy and delicious roasted tomato soup.
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2 1/2 pounds tomatoes mixed (i used cherry & roma)
- 6 cloves garlic peeled
- 2 small onions sliced
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes drained and chopped
- 24 ounces chicken stock plus more if needed
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 cup fresh basil chopped or more to taste
- 2 ounces neufchatel cheese softened
- olive oil cooking spray
- Carbohydrate 24.3049325 g
- Cholesterol 15.5295 mg
- Fat 5.9910975 g
- Fiber 4.55615015015006 g
- Protein 9.179405 g
- Saturated Fat 2.47098375 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (506g)
- Sodium 413.30875 mg
- Sugar 19.7487823498499 g
- Trans Fat 0.817553000000002 g
- Calories 177 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Wash, core and cut the tomatoes into halves. Spread the tomatoes, garlic cloves and onions onto a baking tray. Coat tops with olive oil cooking spray and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, or until caramelized.
- Remove roasted tomatoes, garlic and onion from the oven and transfer to a large stock pot. Add chicken stock, bay leaves, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until liquid has reduced by a third.
- Add basil leaves and Neufchatel cheese to the pot and stir until cheese is melted and incorporated. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Subjecting tomatoes to a 450 degrees F oven initiates the Maillard reaction alongside rapid water evaporation, concentrating natural glutamates and sugars that raw simmering simply cannot achieve. Spreading mixed cherry and roma varieties alongside garlic and sliced onions ensures uniform heat exposure during the twenty to thirty minute roasting window. Spraying the pan contents with oil rather than drenching them prevents boiling, allowing genuine caramelization to develop on the skin and flesh.
Transferring the caramelized produce to a stock pot with chicken stock, bay leaves, and sun-dried tomatoes creates a secondary extraction phase where umami compounds merge into the liquid base. Simmering this mixture for fifteen to twenty minutes reduces the total volume by one third, tightening the flavor profile so the soup tastes intensely savory rather than watery. Sun-dried tomatoes contribute concentrated glutamic acid, reinforcing the savory foundation built by the roasted garlic and onions.
Incorporating neufchatel cheese directly into the hot liquid provides dairy richness and a smooth mouthfeel while containing less fat than traditional heavy cream. Softening the cheese beforehand ensures it disperses evenly when stirred with fresh basil, preventing curdling and greasy separation. Utilizing an immersion blender directly in the pot shears the solid tomato and onion fibers into microscopic particles, creating a uniform emulsion that suspends the fats evenly.
Pairing this textured soup with crusty artisanal bread offers a necessary textural contrast of hard, dry starch against a dense, emulsified liquid. Toasting that bread with a brush of olive oil matches the fat profile present in the soup bowl, tying the components together through complementary lipid structures.
