Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup
With Winter finally hitting here after an unusually warm December, I am really craving warming foods. For me, soups are a favourite wintertime go-to. I enjoy all types of soup, but decadent creamy ones are definitely near the top of my list. However, in an effort to reduce dairy myself for my own anti-inflammatory needs, and to remove it altogether for some clients, we wanted to make a traditional cream of tomato without the cream. Then, because we’re always about elevating the classics, we transformed it into an antioxidant powerhouse.
First, we replaced cream with coconut cream to make our version dairy free and trans fat free (bringing in brain loving medium chain triglycerides, or MCTs, instead). We then used low sodium bone broth or, if you would like this recipe to be plant based, vegetable broth (canned soups are very high in sodium). And then we decided to roast our tomatoes. I know this is a bit more time consuming than using them fresh, but not only does roasting release their sweetness and unlock their full flavour, it’s better for your brain too!
While most vegetables are more nutritious raw, there are a small number of vegetables that are healthier when cooked - and tomatoes are one of them. Roasting tomatoes for 30 minutes has been shown to increase their lycopene content by 164%! Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant that protects our cells, including brain cells, from damage, and it has recently been shown to have prebiotic effects too. To increase the antioxidant content of our soup even more, we added basil to it and proceeded to go a step further by making an optional herb drizzle packed with free-radical fighting garlic, spinach, basil and olive oil.
This is not your standard {insert big brand name} canned tomato soup. But we know your tastebuds and brain cells will thank you for making it. It freezes beautifully too, so always make a big batch to have on hand.
Soup Ingredients:
- 13 Roma tomatoes
- 1 yellow or white onion
- 1 head of garlic, peeled
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 cup low-sodium free range chicken bone broth or vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup canned coconut cream
- 12 basil leaves
Herb Drizzle Ingredients:
- 1 large garlic clove, peeled
- 1/4 cup fresh spinach leaves
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
- 3-4 Tbsp olive oil
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- While oven is preheating, begin chopping tomatoes and onion into 3/4” - 1” pieces and place on large cookie sheet or roasting pan.
- Peel entire head of garlic, leaving the cloves whole, and add to pan with tomatoes and onions.
- Drizzle avocado oil over tomatoes, onions and garlic, and toss well to make sure everything is evenly coated.
- Sprinkle salt and pepper over everything and cook for 30 minutes.
- Remove from oven and give it a good stir, ensuring every piece is flipped over.
- Cook for another 30-40 minutes, until the onions and garlic are soft and tomatoes are beginning to caramelize.
- Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
- Add roasted tomatoes, onions, garlic along with any liquid from the pan to a blender with bone broth and coconut cream, and blend.
- Once smooth and frothy, add 12 basil leaves and pulse blender until basil is incorporated.
- To make Herb Drizzle, add peeled large garlic clove, spinach, 1/4 cup basil, and 3 Tbsp olive oil to blender or food processor, and pulse until pureed, (adding in last Tbsp of olive oil if desired).
- If wanting to enjoy immediately, add blended soup to a pot and simmer over medium heat, with the lid on, stirring frequently until soup comes to a slight boil.
- Add to a bowl and top with Herb Drizzle and enjoy.
Store in airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freezer for up to 3 months.
Do you like to crumble crackers into your tomato soup? Try our Healthy Homemade Goldfish Crackers! Or if you prefer to have a cracker paired with your soup instead, our Hemp Seed Crackers are a must.
Tomatoes:
- Roasting tomatoes has been shown to enhance their nutritional value by increasing their antioxidant lycopene content and improving how well lycopene is absorbed by the body!
- Fun Tomato Fact: Cooking your tomatoes with extra virgin olive oil increases how well our bodies absorb lycopene. The Mediterranean diet is one of the healthiest in the world, and this is just another reason why!
- A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study (which is the gold standard in scientific research) has shown that antioxidant-rich tomatoes modulate gut microbiota in overweight and obese adults.
Coconut Cream:
- Learn why the fats in coconut cream and coconut oil are the good kind, here.
- References
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- Dewanto, V.V., Wu, X., Adom, K.K. & Liu, R.H. 2002. Thermal Processing Enhances the Nutritional Value of Tomatoes by Increasing Total Antioxidant Activity. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 50(10), 3010-3014.
- Fielding, J.M., Rowley, K.G., Cooper, P. & O’Dea, K. 2005. Increases in plasma lycopene concentration after consumption of tomatoes cooked with olive oil. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 14(2), 131-136.
- Rehman, A. et al. 2023. A water-soluble tomato extract rich in secondary plant metabolites lowers trimethylamine-n-oxide and modulates gut microbiota: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over study in overweight and obese adults. The Journal of Nutrition, 153(1), 96-105.
