Happy fall, everyone!
As I mentioned in my last post, it’s time for me to return to posting soup recipes since the weather will be turning cold soon. And just to ease you into making soup again, I decided to start with a super quick, super easy roasted tomato soup that tastes like it took an hour to make!
I used to love eating a cup of creamy tomato soup with a crispy grilled cheese sandwich, but since I don’t eat cheese anymore, I can settle for a piece of crusty bread with my tomato soup. This soup would also be good with croutons sprinkled on top, but pumpkin seeds are much more nutritious!
Typical tomato soups contain heavy cream and oil, but my healthy version is oil-free and creamy because of the cashews that I blended in with the other ingredients. If I ate this roasted tomato soup at a restaurant, I’d never guess it’s vegan!
There are two ways to make this delicious soup — by roasting your own tomatoes, or using canned roasted tomatoes. I started by roasting my own, which of course took much longer than opening a can. Then I made the soup again using the exact same recipe but with a 28-oz. can of fire-roasted tomatoes instead of the 2 lbs of fresh tomatoes. Both recipes were very good, but I actually liked the 10-minute version better! The canned tomatoes have a more concentrated tomato flavor than the fresh tomatoes, so the soup was darker (not pictured) and more flavorful. If you have lots of fresh tomatoes you need to use up and want to roast them, I recommend adjusting the recipe by adding more tomato paste and a little more salt.
I roasted my tomatoes by cutting them in half, placing them cut side-down on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and baking them at 375°F for 20 minutes. I then turned on the broiler for about 3 minutes to blister the skins a little. At this point the tomatoes were pretty mushy, so I used tongs to carefully pull off the skins and a metal spatula to transfer the tomato halves to the blender with the rest of the ingredients.
And be careful — they’ll be very hot!
- ½ cup raw cashews, soaked in warm water at least 30 mins
- 1 28-oz. can fire-roasted tomatoes (I used crushed), OR 2 lbs fresh tomatoes
- ½ yellow onion, chopped
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 1 vegetable bullion cube
- 1 tsp. dried basil
- 2 T. nutritional yeast
- 3 T. tomato paste (5 T. if not using canned tomatoes)
- ¼ tsp. sea salt, plus more to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- Optional garnish: fresh basil, pumpkin seeds, croutons
- If roasting fresh tomatoes, preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut tomatoes in half and place them cut side-down on the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, then turn on the broiler for 3-4 minutes until the skins start to blister. Allow to cool slightly, then carefully remove the skins using tongs.
- In a small saucepan, cook the onions, garlic, and carrot in ¼ inch of water until soft, about 5 mins.
- While the vegetables are cooking, place cashews, bullion cube, dried basil, nutritional yeast, tomato paste, salt, and pepper in the blender.
- If using canned tomatoes, pour them into the saucepan and stir until thoroughly heated, about 2 mins.
- If you used fresh tomatoes, transfer them to the blender with a metal spatula.
- Pour the contents of the saucepan into the blender, then blend on high until completely smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
- Pour into bowls and garnish with fresh basil, pumpkin seeds, or croutons. Serve with crusty bread and a side salad.
If you want a stronger basil flavor in your soup, simply throw in a few fresh basil leaves into the blender before blending.
This roasted tomato soup is so rich and satisfying! The nutritional yeast and creamy cashews give it a cheesy flavor and velvety texture that begs you to dip bread into it.
My toddler LOVES it!
But the best part about this soup, besides how delicious it is, is that it’s so easy to make! It’s perfect for a quick weeknight dinner or a simple Sunday afternoon lunch.
Be sure to try my other family-friendly soups!
♥ ♥ ♥
I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sad to say goodbye to my summer garden. My tomato plants are still exploding with tomatoes, but the branches are drying up and withering. My cucumber vines and zucchini plants are completely dead, and everything else is looking pretty pitiful.
All in all, it was a great gardening summer for us, especially since we had very few weeds this year. I love taking Abby out to the garden to marvel at the new vegetables that seemed to appear overnight. She thinks pulling weeds is fun, which is a win for me! She’s also a big fan of our irrigation system, as you can see . . .
Don’t forget to go outside and enjoy the beautiful fall weather while you can! It’ll be winter before we know it!
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