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Creamy Roasted Tomato Basil Bisque

4.72 from 7 votes

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins

By Carol

Updated Jul 14, 2021, Published Sep 20, 2020

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Creamy Roasted Tomato Basil Bisque is a light, yet comforting soup that’s perfect for transitioning into fall.  However, you’ll want to make this tomato soup year-round!  The roasting process brings out the delicious flavor of even out-of-season tomatoes!  Pairs perfectly with this Zucchini Quiche recipe!

The inspiration behind this recipe:

Do you remember tomato soup from your childhood?  I sure do and sincerely want to cancel out all memories of it myself as it meant tomato soup out of a can.

I haaaated the stuff.  I remember having tomato soup put in front of me for lunch as a kid.  In an effort to make it more palatable, I salted the bejeebers out of it.  Well, then it was totally inedible.  Guess who went hungry?

Yeah, that was until I learned one can make their own amazing tomato soup and still feel like a kid!

First off:

What is bisque?

A bisque is typically made with seafood, of French origin and is highly seasoned with a creamy texture.  However, this technique is also applied to vegetable soups.

How to make Creamy Roasted Tomato Basil Bisque:

• Gather up 3 to 3 1/2 pounds of fresh tomatoes.  Cut them into chunks and remove seeds where possible.
• Cut a large onion into chunks.
• Peel 2 large carrots and cut them into even pieces that are about 1/2-inch in width and approximately 1 to 2 inches in length.
• Add a bunch of peeled garlic cloves.

• Drizzle on a fair amount of olive oil.  I used a good, robust extra virgin olive oil.

• Roast all that at 450 degrees for about a half-hour or so.
• The tomatoes should be ridiculously melty soft, the onions a bit charred, the carrots nice and soft and the garlic softened and truly enjoying being snuggled in between all the veggies.

• Remove any tomato skins that are easy to pull off.  Transfer every last drop of this roasted goodness into a Dutch oven.
• Add some chicken or vegetable broth, some thyme sprigs and a small amount of white rice.  The white rice is going to help the soup thicken without any flour.

• Get that all simmered up nicely so the liquid reduces and the vegetables soften up even more….
• Remove the thyme sprigs, but don’t toss them.  Just let them cool a bit and scrape the leaves back into the bisque.

• Add a good handful or so of freshly chopped basil and some cream….
• Puree with an immersion blender (alternately, do so in a food processor or blender…
• And folks!

Some seriously good roasted tomato soup deliciousness!!!

You’re totally welcome to serve this with a grilled cheese sandwich as a throwback to your youth or top it with some croutons and some crushed red pepper flakes and go to town!

At your next dinner party, you can up the elegance factor with this roasted tomato basil soup with some shrimp as the garnish, some crab or even some lobster!

More delicious creamy soups you’ll love!

• Broccoli Gruyere Soup with Torn Garlic Croutons
• Pumpkin Soup with Marsala and Mascarpone
• Cream of Celery Leaf and Scallion Soup
• Creamy White Bean Rutabaga and Roasted Garlic Soup
• Butternut Squash Soup with Thyme and Taleggio
• Cream of Green Vegetable Soup

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4.72 from 7 votes

Creamy Roasted Tomato Basil Bisque

By Carol | From A Chef's Kitchen

Creamy Roasted Tomato Basil Bisque is a light, yet comforting soup that's perfect for transitioning into fall but you'll want to make this year-round.  The roasting process brings out the delicious flavor of even out-of-season tomatoes!

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 1 hour hr

Total Time: 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Servings: 4

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Equipment

• Wusthof Chef Knife
• Cutting Board
• Rimmed Sheet Pan
• Dutch Oven
• Breville Immersion Blender

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 3 to 3 1/2 pounds tomatoes, mix of vine-ripened, plum and grape or cherry tomatoes
• ▢ 1 large onion, cut into large wedges or chunks
• ▢ 2 large carrots, cut into 1/2-inch wide 1 to 2-inch pieces
• ▢ 10-12 cloves garlic
• ▢ 1/2 cup olive oil
• ▢ Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• ▢ 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• ▢ 2 tablespoons uncooked white rice
• ▢ 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• ▢ 1 handful chopped fresh basil leaves, approximately 1 cup
• ▢ 1/2 cup heavy cream, plus more for swirling in if desired
• ▢ Pinch sugar, if needed
• ▢ Crushed red pepper flakes, optional
• ▢ Croutons, optional

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Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut tomatoes into large chunks, removing the seeds if possible.
• Place on a baking sheet along with the onion, carrots and garlic.
• Drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt and black pepper to taste.
• Roast for 30 minutes or until the tomatoes are very soft, the onions are browned and the carrots are soft.
• Remove any tomato skins that are easy to peel off.
• Transfer to a Dutch oven or other soup pot, using a rubber scraper to get every drop.
• Add the chicken or vegetable broth, the rice and thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until liquid is slightly reduced and vegetables and rice are extremely soft.
• Remove the thyme springs and let cool to the touch. Scrape the leaves back into the soup.
• Add the chopped fresh basil and heavy cream. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until very smooth. Alternately, puree in a blender until smooth.
• Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and sugar if needed.
• Serve, garnished with cream, crushed red pepper flakes and croutons if desired.

Notes

TIP:

• Up the elegance factor with shrimp as the garnish, some crab, or even some lobster.

MAKE AHEAD:

• Soup can be made 1-2 days ahead of time.  Cool and refrigerate.
• Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.

FREEZER-FRIENDLY:

• Place in airtight containers in the desired quantity. Thaw in the refrigerator or in the microwave.
• Reheat on low heat on the stovetop, stirring often, until the soup smooths out and comes together.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Calories: 494kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 8gFat: 39gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 23gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 928mgPotassium: 1225mgFiber: 7gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 9799IUVitamin C: 63mgCalcium: 108mgIron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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