Roasted Orange Tomato Soup with Thai Basil

This recipe is a roasted tomato soup with a twist, or two. I grew orange Roma Tomatoes for my sister who likes a less acidic tomato, and the Thai Basil just because it is pretty. The flowers are purple, the bees love them, and they add a burst of rich color in a bed of green veggies. Both plants gave us more than we could eat or give away, so I made soup.

The orange Roma Tomatoes are just as meaty as the red. Their flavor is milder than reds, less tart more sweet. Thai Basil is sturdier and has a licorice flavor, a stronger flavor than the more commonly used sweet Basil (like Genovese Basil, which is used in pesto and spaghetti sauces). The two different flavors balance each other perfectly in this soup. The sweet enhances the spicy, like any good partnership 🙂

Garden to Table Step By Step Recipe for Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS WITH PHOTOS or Jump to Recipe with this link

INGREDIENT LIST : 4 pounds of Orange Roma(paste) tomatoes. Enough to fill 2 cookie sheets, or sheet pans, when cut in half.

  • 4 pounds of Orange Roma (paste) tomatoes. Enough to fill 2 cookie sheets (sheet pans) when cut in half.
  • 1/3 cup plus 2 Tbs of extra virgin olive oil (EVO)
  • 4 – 6 cloves of diced garlic. If you have small cloves, use 6, if you have medium to large, use 4 cloves
  • 1 1/2 cups of finely diced onions. I used one sweet white and one red onion. A combination of different onions creates a richer, savory flavor.
  • 1 cup of chopped fresh Purple Thai Basil, flowers and leaves.
  • 1 Tbs of fresh Thyme (if don’t have fresh use 1/2 tsp of dried Thyme)
  • 1 Tbs of Salt
  • 1 tsp White Pepper
  • 2 quarts (8 cups) of Chicken Bone Broth or Chicken Broth (or 1 quart of each). 1 quart is usually one box. Use organic if you can. Bone broth has deeper, richer flavor that simple Chicken Broth. You can see and smell the difference in the broth. If bone broth is too strong a flavor for you, try 1 quart of bone and one quart of regular broth.
  • 2 Tbs red wine vinegar

The bulk of your work will be in removing the stems and slicing your tomatoes for roasting. The rest is basic prep work for assembling your soup. It’s easier if you have a food processor and/or a good blender, but don’t worry about it if you don’t. You really only need a good knife, baking sheet pan(s), and a good soup pot.

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, 375 if you are using a convection oven.
  • Slice the tomatoes in half length wise, and cut out the stems
  • Coat each pan with a scant 1 tsp of EVO from the 1/3 cup of EVO or you can line the pan(s) with parchment paper instead of coating the pan(s).
  • Place the tomatoes cut side up and drizzle them with the rest of the 1/3 cup of EVO
  • Place your tomatoes in the oven and let them roast for 20 to 25 Minutes, until they darken, like in the photos. You can certainly roast them longer, but the flavor will be different. They will be more tart with a sharper bite to them.
  • While your tomatoes are roasting, finely dice your onions and garlic. Let them sit for at least ten minutes.
  • Coat the bottom of your soup pot with the reserved 2 Tbs of Evo. Heat on Medium
  • Add your finely chopped onions. Let them sweat for 5-8 minutes – until they’re translucent.
  • Add your tomatoes fresh out of the oven to the pot. Stir them in the oil and onions, coating them.
  • Let the tomatoes and onions cook together for 5 minutes.
  • Add the Garlic
  • Add the Broth
  • Add the salt and Pepper. Let the ingredients cook together for 10 minutes
  • Add the Basil and Thyme. Let everything cook together for another 10 minutes.
  • Blend the soup in batches, using either a standing blender or immersion blender, returning the blended soup to the pot
  • Add the red wine vinegar and let the pot cook for anther 10 minutes and Voila -you’re done!
  • Enjoy your soup right away with some crusty bread or freeze it in batches for a taste of the summer in the middle or the winter. You can store it in the refrigerator for up to a week. Our soup doesn’t last the week once our boys know we’ve made a batch.

Roasted Orange Tomato and Thai Basil Soup

[lt_recipe name=”Roasted Orange Tomato and Thai Basil Soup” servings=”8 cups” prep_time=”45M” cook_time=”45M” total_time=”1H30M” difficulty=”Easy ” summary=”The bulk of your work will be slicing your tomatoes for roasting. The rest is basic prep work for assembling your soup. ” print=”yes” ingredients=”4lbs of Yellow Roma (Paste) Tomatoes – enough to fill two cookie sheets (or do you say Sheet Pan);1 cup of finely chopped purple Thai Basil leaves;1 tsp of fresh Thyme, or 1/4 tsp of ground Thyme;1 large shallot;1 large leek, white part only;1 medium yellow onion;1/3 cup plus 2 Tbs of Olive Oil;6 cloves of finely chopped garlic;2 Tbs of red wine vinegar;3 tsp salt;1 tsp white pepper;ground black pepper to taste;2 Quarts (8 cups) of chicken bone broth;;” ]Preheat oven to 400 degrees.;;Cut the stems out of the tomatoes and slice them in half. Lay them cut side up on the cookie sheets. I used parchment paper to cover the bottom of the cookie sheets for easier clean-up. Brush, or drizzle, the 1/3 cup of olive oil over the tomatoes. Roast for 25 minutes. If you are using a convection oven, reduce the heat to 375 and 20 minutes. ;;Next cover the bottom of your pot with 2 Tbs of olive oil. Heat the oil and add your onions, sweating them for 5 minutes. A note on the onions – you need 1 1/2 cup of a variety of onions. If you don’t have leeks or shallots, use whatever you have. A variety of onions for richer flaver is the best way to go. Then add the garlic and cook for just another minute. ;;Now add your freshly roasted tomatoes, the herbs, salt and pepper. and all the broth. Cook for 15 minutes, then add the red wine vinegar. Cook for another 10 minutes. When your soup is done cooking, put it in your blender in batches, or use an immersion blender, to make it smooth and creamy. ;[/lt_recipe]

 

This year we grew orange Roma tomatoes with our red romas. This was the fist time I ordered seeds instead of buying them here. By the time I sat UHY7down to order, all the &a[In March I thought I was actually The Frankly these were the only seeds I could order this year. It turned out to be a good choice, even if I didn’t have a choice. The these orange tomatoes are so so sweet, have lots of pulp, and produce prolific fruit. In fact we had many more orange tomatoes than the red Roma‘s. That alone was the reason for making my soup. I need to use a bother orange to meet us. The Thai basil it’s so pretty and very disease resistant. The flowers are beautiful but just as important the scent and flavor is just as beautiful. And purple and orange look great together.

 

1 cup of finely diced Thai Basil

1 tsp fresh thyme, or 1/4 tsp ground thyme

1 large shallot and one leek (white part only)

1/3 plus 2Tbs of olive oil

6 cloves of finely chopped garlic

2 Tbs of red wine vinegar

1 Tbs of salt

1 tsp white pepper

4 cups of Chicken Bone Broth *

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Cut the stems off the tomatoes and slice them in half. Lay them cut side up on cookie sheets. Using the 1/3 cup of olive oil, lightly coat the pans and then drizzle the remainder over the tomatoes. Roast your tomatoes at 350 for 25-30 minutes.