Roasted garlic turns sticky sweet and vibrant summer tomatoes concentrate their umami in this roasted garlic and tomato soup. Savory lemon-pepper whipped cream swirls in at the end for a velvety smooth finish.
I got a copy of Market Cooking by David Tanis when it first came out years ago and immediately one of the recipes that imprinted into my brain was his White Asparagus with Savory Whipped Cream.
If my taste buds had eyes, it would a) be weird, but more importantly b) they would have gone WIDE at reading those three words:
Savory. Whipped. Cream. 😳🤯
The concept has lived rent free inside my head ever since.
Tanis seasons his with a lovely mixture of cayenne and dijon which is literal perfection. For this soup though, I want the savory whip to play the role of best supporting actor/tress to our precious summer tomatoes, so I go with a simple combo of lemon zest and lots of fresh cracked black pepper.
The fluffy whipped cream adds an ethereal texture to the soup, taking it to a place far above and beyond what a standard drizzle of plain cream could do
A tip of the hat to Chef Tanis for forever changing the way I perceive this staple ingredient. My humble hope is that I can pay this gift of inspiration forward, perhaps to one of you 💫
ingredients for roasted garlic tomato soup
ingredient notes & swaps
- You can use any type of tomatoes you like or have on hand. I recommend using a mixture of types and colors if possible, as they all blend together nicely to create excellent depth of flavor.
- You can buy toasted fennel seeds or toast your own. Just toss them in a dry skillet over medium-low heat for a few minutes until fragrant.
- The amount of chicken stock you need is going to depend on how juicy your tomatoes are. I recommend having a quart on hand so you can use as much as you need. I only used about 2 cups in the batch of soup pictured.
- The amount of heavy cream as shown here will produce enough savory whip for about 4-6 servings of soup. Scale up or down depending on how many people you'll be serving at any given time!
summer's end roasted garlic and tomato soup with savory whip
Roasted garlic turns sticky sweet and vibrant summer tomatoes concentrate their umami in this roasted garlic and tomato soup. Savory lemon-pepper whipped cream swirls in at the end for a velvety smooth finish.
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: about 3 quarts 1x
Ingredients
For the Soup:
- 4 pounds ripe tomatoes, use a mixture of types and sizes
- 1 sweet onion, roughly chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
- 1 large head garlic, sliced crosswise
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon toasted fennel seeds
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- Salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
- 2-3 cups chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves, plus a few more for garnish
For the Savory Whip:
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon fresh lemon zest
- Salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400℉ and prep your veggies! Roughly chop the tomatoes, onion, and red bell pepper. Slice the top quarter off the entire garlic bulb so that each of the cloves within are revealed.
- Arrange the chopped tomatoes (and any juices), onion, and bell pepper on 2 regular or 1 large baking sheet. Toss with the olive oil, fennel seeds, dried oregano, black pepper and a little salt. Place the sliced head of garlic at the corner of one of the baking sheets and drizzle a bit more oil directly onto the surface of the cloves.
- Transfer to the oven and roast for about 30 minutes, until the veggies are nicely softened and caramelized and the garlic is softened.
- Set the roasted garlic bulb off to the side for a moment and transfer the roasted tomatoes, veggies, and any juices to a soup pot.
- Pick the garlic bulb up, turn it upside down over the soup pot, and squeeze! The softened cloves will pop out and into the pot.
- Keep squeezing until you get all of the garlic cloves and any paste out of the skin.
- Add some chicken stock (I recommend starting with about 2 cups), the red wine vinegar, and the basil leaves.
- Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. Place the soup pot over medium-low heat and warm it gently. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- To make the savory whip: whisk the whipped cream until thickened but still loose, then fold in lemon zest and salt and black pepper to taste. Make sure to stop whipping the cream just before it's at the right texture as it will continue tightening up as you stir the seasonings in.
- Ladle your roasted tomato garlic soup into serving bowls and dollop each with some of the savory whip and a few fresh basil leaves to serve. I also recommend serving with toast or crusty bread. This soup was made for moppin'!
Notes
- Don't salt the tomatoes too heavily before roasting as this will cause them to leak a lot of juices. Add a pinch or two, then save the rest of your salting for the end.
- You can make the whipped cream using an electric beater, but I usually do it by hand because I'm old school and semi-despise getting out / putting away kitchen equipment 😤 When whipping by hand, make sure your cream is very cold as this will help it to whip more quickly. I like to do mine in a metal bowl resting on top of a frozen ice pack! Works like a charm.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: soups
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: american
FAQs
Why Roast The Tomatoes?
Roasting any vegetable will cook off some of their water content, thereby concentrating their inherent flavor. Also, roasting under moderate-high heat as we do in this recipe gives the naturally occurring sugars in tomatoes a chance to caramelize, producing an extra nutty taste and depth of flavor.
What Can I Use if I Don't Have an Immersion Blender?
Use an upright blender to blend this soup if you need to! It works just fine, but be extra careful when blending hot liquids as accumulated steam in the blender can cause the lid to pop. I would wait for the ingredients to cool a bit before blending, just to be on the safe side!
Soup's always on in my house! If it's the same in yours, try my other soup recipes like Roasted Cauliflower and Pumpkin Soup and Creamy Zucchini Leek Soup.
dig in!
Enjoy & let me know what you think 🌙 💛
