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winter roasted tomato soup with herbed ricotta

Winter Roasted Tomato Soup with Herbed Ricotta

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winter roasted tomato soup with herbed ricotta

I’m not sure where all of you live but it is dang cold where I am right now!

And, that’s okay because I love where I live (for anyone who doesn’t know, I live in central Canada).

I’ve lived here my whole life and I’m used to the weather (again, for those of you who may not know, it can go to -35 degrees Celsius in the winter to +35 degrees Celsius in the summer) so I never wake up on a random December morning and expect it to be balmy.

It just won’t happen.

Unless I’m dreaming (which would be a darn nice dream)…just sayin’…

The nice thing about cold winter nights is all of the comfort food that we eat during the winter months.  Not that we don’t eat them in the summer, but for me, they are the farthest thing from my mind on a hot, sticky, summer day.

So, in the winter, we Cannucks eat aaaallll the soup!

Well, maybe not all Canadians, but this one does.

Winter Roasted Tomato Soup with Herbed Ricotta Just Crumbs Blog by Suzie Durigon

The problem I find, sometimes, with soup is the ability to incorporate complexity.  I mean, a chicken noodle soup is always yummy, but not necessarily complex.  However, if you add some roasted garlic and a boatload of herbs, it brings chicken soup to a totally new level.

Enter in my roasted tomato soup…

roasted tomato soup

Plain old tomato soup can be boring (that’s probably why the canned variety is loaded with sodium). Sometimes, homemade tomato soup is like tomato sauce with some broth.

Which is fine.

But, when my tummy is cold, I don’t want “fine”…I want “an elevated, warming bowl of extra special deliciousness”.

Am I right?

I have other tomato soups on the blog, like this deconstructed BLT tomato soup or this roasted tomato soup with aged cheddar and brown butter bread crumbs that are super yummy but use roasted fresh tomatoes…which is great when tomatoes are awesome (like in August).  But what if it’s February? And you have nothing but some canned tomatoes in the pantry?  Well, then this is your soup!

As you can see above, I just put the whole tomatoes from a can onto a baking sheet, douse it with olive oil and garlic pieces and roast away until it becomes all caramelized (the pic below doesn’t do it justice…the underneath part of the tomatoes was glorious!!)

Winter Roasted Tomato Soup with Herbed Ricotta Just Crumbs Blog by Suzie Durigon

It’s seriously the easiest soup to make and the flavour is crazy good.  Topped with some cool ricotta that has been mixed with some good quality olive oil and fresh parsley, and you have a company-worthy dish your friends will rave over!!

Winter Roasted Tomato Soup with Herbed Ricotta Just Crumbs Blog by Suzie Durigon

I know it’s a big claim to have “the best” roasted tomato soup on my blog, but, honestly, it really, really is…

Really, really, really!

Easy roasted tomato soup

You can go ahead and pin this for later but please try it this weekend…I promise it will warm your tummy!!!

winter roasted tomato soup with herbed ricotta

Winter Roasted Tomato Soup with Herbed Ricotta

It doesn't get easier than this soup! The extra step of roasting the canned tomatoes brings an unparalleled complexity to this otherwise simple dish!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Soup
Cuisine American
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cans whole tomatoes (preferably San Marzano) 796ml or 28 oz
  • 4 medium garlic cloves
  • 1/4 cup olive oil (plus an extra few tbsp for cooking onions) (plus more for drizzling)
  • 2 tsp salt (plus more for seasoning)
  • 1 tsp freshly ground pepper (plus more for seasoning)
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 1 small tin tomato paste (about 2/3 cup)
  • 4 cups broth of your choice (about 32 ounces)
  • 3 dashes hot sauce, optional
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1/3 cup parsley leaves, chopped

Instructions
 

  • Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 400°F.
  • Remove the whole tomatoes from the cans (keeping the juice aside) and lay them out in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, scatter the garlic bits over the tomatoes and drizzle with 1/4 c of the oil; roast until soft and caramelized/brown on the bottom, about 30 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1/4 cup of oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat; add the onion and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir around until the paste has deepened in color, about 2 more minutes.
  • When the tomatoes are ready, transfer them, along with all the garlic and oil to the pot; add the reserved tomato juice in the cans and the broth. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cover the pot, and simmer 5 minutes.
  • Purée the soup in batches in a stand blender or with an immersion blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper as needed and heat for another 5 minutes.
  • In a small bowl, mix ricotta, parsley, salt, pepper and 1 tbsp olive oil.
  • Ladle soup into bowls and spoon a dollop of the ricotta onto each bowl and swirl with extra olive oil if desired.
  • Serve warm (remainder can be refrigerated or frozen).