This homemade Tomato Soup is prepared with fresh tomatoes from Aida’s Garden. It has a creamy texture with a rich deep garlic-tomato flavor. This version of tomato soup is also suitable for those individuals that are vegans and vegetarians due to its healthy and fresh ingredients.
The key to a tasty Tomato soup is roasting all the vegetables until a caramelization is formed for a concentrated sweetness. Once roasted, the vegetables are then puréed in a blender for several minutes to obtain a smooth texture. We usually garnish the hot soup with parmesan cheese, croutons, basil or cilantro. I love to serve the Tomato Soup with grilled cheese sandwiches prepared with Gouda cheese. Gouda cheese is a very popular cheese in Puerto Rico.
I plan to use two different types of ripe tomatoes for our soup – 1 pound of Beefsteak and 1 pound of Roma (Plum). However, you can use the tomato of your choice as long as it is ripe.
Food History!
The tomatoes originated in South Amercia (Andes Region) and were domesticated in Mexico by the Aztec Indians (500 BC). However, the tomatoes at that time were small yellow fruits. During the early 16th century, the tomatoes were introduced to Europe by the Spanish. However, the Europeans considered the tomatoes to be posionous, and they were only used for decoration. It was the Italians that first became fond of the tomatoes. They were not recognized as a food source in America until the 1830’s.
We all know that tomato is a fruit, but is usually served as a vegetable very similar to our plantains and breadfruits.
Harvesting the Tomatoes and Herbs – Aida’s Garden!
These are the Roma Tomatoes also known as plum tomatoes. They have an egg-shaped appearance. The plum tomatoes have a meaty flesh, with a lower water and seed content. They are great for sauces and paste.
These large round tomatoes are Beefsteak Tomatoes, and they are very sweet and juicy. They also have a meaty flesh that has a rich tomato flavor. Excellent for placing tomato slices on your burgers or sandwiches.
This is fresh cilantro, a member of the parsley family, that I harvested from my garden. In our culture, we cook a lot with cilantro, which is also the cousin of our popular herb known as culantro (recao). You can substitute basil for cilantro if you prefer.
NOTE: Rinse the tomatoes and cilantro.
Cutting the Roma (Plum) and Beefsteak Tomatoes!
First, cut off this end of the plum tomato before it is cut in half.
Cut each half into several sections. You will need 1 pound of plum tomatoes.
Carefully remove the core in the middle of the beefsteak tomato before cutting the tomato in half.
Also, cut the halves into several sections. You will need 1 pound of Beefsteak tomatoes.
Peeling and Cutting the Other Vegetables!
Peel the red onion. If the red onion is very large, then you only need half an onion.
NOTE: Red onions are my preference because they tend to be sweeter, but you can use a white or yellow onion.
Cut the half onion into several sections.
Peel 5 large garlic cloves. You can decrease or increase the quantity of garlic cloves, according to your taste.
Removing Cilantro Leaves from Stems!
These are three sprigs of fresh cilantro, a member of the parsley family. Remove the cilantro leaves from the stem.
Combining and Seasoning the Vegetables – Tomato Soup!
Transfer the vegetables and herbs in a baking pan, measuring 10 x 15 x 1 inches.
Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on top of vegetables (about 3 tablespoons).
Season with lite salt (½ teaspoon) or to taste.
Grind some ground peppercorn (about ¼ teaspoon) on top.
With clean hands or spoon, mix all the vegetables to coat them completely with the oil and seasoning.
Roasting the Vegetables!
Insert baking pan in oven at 400°F for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and caramelized.
The vegetables are beautifully roasted. They are soft and caramelized. They also have released plenty of liquid.
Puréeing the Roasted Vegetables to Make Tomato Soup!
Add the hot roasted vegetables with liquid into blender.
NOTE: Since the vegetables released plenty of liquid, there is no need to add other liquids like vegetable or chicken stock into blender.
Blend at medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes or until a purée is formed.
The Tomato Soup has a smooth and thick consistency. At this point, you can taste the soup to see if it needs more seasoning. Since the soup is still hot inside the blender, you can either pour immediately into two bowls or reheat later in a saucepan.
NOTE: This recipe yields 4 cups of tomato soup. Depending on the size of the bowl, you can have 2 to 4 servings.
Serving the Tomato Soup!
This homemade tomato soup is very healthy without adding any heavy cream or store bought vegetable or chicken stock. This looks so delicious!
Garnish the homemade Tomato Soup with chopped cilantro and croutons. You can also use parmesan cheese. I love to serve tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches prepared with Gouda cheese. Gouda cheese is a very popular cheese in Puerto Rico.
NOTE: You can garnish with chopped basil if you prefer.
Click on the link below to watch my YouTube video on How to Prepare Homemade Tomato Soup!
Recipe and Nutritional Facts!
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. Please refer to our Nutritional Facts Disclaimer for more information.
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Tomato Soup (Sopa de Tomate)
- Prep Time: 20 Minutes
- Cook Time: 30 Minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 Servings 1x
Description
A healthy and tasty soup prepared with fresh roasted tomatoes for a creamy texture with deep rich tomato-garlic flavors. This version of tomato soup is also suitable for those individuals that are vegans and vegetarians due to its healthy and fresh ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 pound Roma Tomatoes
- 1 pound Beefsteak Tomatoes
- ½ red large onion, peeled and cut into chunks
- 5 large garlic cloves, peeled
- 3 sprigs cilantro, remove cilantro leaves from stems
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon lite salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground peppercorn or to taste
Instructions
- Rinse the tomatoes. Remove one end of plum tomato (stem side). Cut tomato in half and into several sections.
- Remove the core of beefsteak tomato before cutting tomato into several sections.
- Place all the vegetables and herbs into a baking pan, measuring 10 x 15 x 1 inches.
- Drizzle olive oil over vegetables and season with salt and ground peppercorn.
- Roast vegetables in oven at 400°F for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and caramelized.
- Transfer the roasted vegetable, including the liquid released from the vegetables, into an electric blender.
- Blend at medium speed until a purée is formed, approximately 2 minutes.
- Serve in bowl while the soup is still hot in blender or reheat in a saucepan.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro, parmesan cheese, basil or croutons.
Notes
You can use the tomatoes of your choice for this recipe. This recipe yields 4 cups of tomato soup. Depending on the size of the bowl, you can have 2 to 4 servings.
- Category: Soups
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: Spanish
Keywords: Tomato Soup, Sopa de Tomate
