Roasted Garlic Tomato Basil (Printable)

Smooth tomato basil blend with roasted garlic and crispy croutons offering rich, comforting flavors.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Soup

01 - 2 lbs ripe tomatoes, halved
02 - 1 large head garlic
03 - 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
04 - 2 tbsp olive oil
05 - 4 cups vegetable broth
06 - 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, plus extra for garnish
07 - 1 tsp sugar (optional)
08 - 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
09 - 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
10 - 1/4 cup heavy cream or plant-based cream (optional)

→ Croutons

11 - 3 cups day-old bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
12 - 2 tbsp olive oil
13 - 1/2 tsp dried oregano or Italian herbs
14 - 1/4 tsp salt

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F.
02 - Cut the top off the garlic head to expose cloves, drizzle with 1 tsp olive oil, wrap in foil, and place on baking sheet.
03 - Arrange tomatoes cut side up and chopped onion on the baking sheet, drizzle with remaining olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
04 - Roast garlic, tomatoes, and onion for 30 to 35 minutes until tomatoes are soft and caramelized and garlic is golden.
05 - Toss bread cubes with olive oil, oregano, and salt; spread on separate baking sheet and bake 10 to 15 minutes, stirring once, until golden and crisp.
06 - Squeeze roasted garlic cloves out of skins once roasting is complete.
07 - In a large pot, combine roasted tomatoes, onions, garlic, vegetable broth, basil leaves, and sugar if using.
08 - Bring mixture to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 10 minutes.
09 - Purée soup using immersion blender or in batches in a countertop blender until smooth; return to pot.
10 - Stir in cream if desired and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
11 - Ladle soup into bowls, garnish with croutons and fresh basil.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The roasted garlic becomes sweet and mellow, nothing like raw garlic's sharp bite.
  • You can make this entirely plant-based, or add cream for richness—it adapts to what you have.
  • Homemade croutons taste so much better than store-bought, and they're embarrassingly easy to make.
02 -
  • Don't blend the soup until it's cooled slightly if using a countertop blender; hot liquids expand and can be dangerous when covered.
  • Taste the soup before adding the sugar—sometimes your tomatoes are naturally sweet, and adding sugar ruins that fresh, bright flavor.
  • Croutons go soft quickly in soup, so add them just before serving, or serve them on the side so people can add as much as they want.
03 -
  • Use an immersion blender instead of a countertop blender if you have one—it's faster, you don't have to cool the soup, and there's less cleanup.
  • If your soup turns out thicker than you want, don't panic; just add broth or water a little at a time until you reach the right consistency.

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