Roasted Tomato Soup

Some recipes are just for a particular time of year. This is one of them. The moment the weather turns and you need something warm in a bowl — proper warm — this roasted tomato soup is the answer.

Tomatoes in the oven, a slow pot of onion and garlic on the stove, everything blended together and finished with a swirl of Wilson’s Foods Basil Oil on top. Simple as that — that last swirl is what makes it.

Roast the Tomatoes First

This is the step that separates this soup from every other tomato soup you’ve made. Roasting the tomatoes first — with a generous drizzle of Wilson’s Foods Extra Virgin Olive Oil and plenty of seasoning — concentrates their flavour completely. The edges caramelise, the natural sugars come forward, and what comes out of the oven is something much more interesting than a raw tomato.

35 to 40 minutes at 190°C. You want them soft, jammy, and just starting to catch at the edges. All those sticky, caramelised juices at the bottom of the tray go into the pot too — don’t leave a drop behind.

If your tomatoes aren’t at their ripest — and in May they probably aren’t — tinned plum tomatoes work beautifully here. Two tins of good quality plum tomatoes, still roasted the same way, still deliver. Just add a small pinch of sugar when you season them.

The Slow Pot

While the tomatoes are in the oven, onion, carrot, garlic and basil stalks go into a pot with a good lug of Wilson’s Foods Extra Virgin Olive Oil, covered, on a low heat for 20 minutes. No browning — just slow, gentle softening until everything is sweet and giving. This is the base that gives the soup its body and depth.

Basil stalks in the pot is the detail worth knowing. Most people throw them away but they carry as much flavour as the leaves. In they go with the vegetables, and the fresh basil leaves get saved for stirring through the soup just before blending.

Finish with Wilson’s Foods Basil Oil

Once everything is blended and in the bowl, this is where Wilson’s Foods Basil Oil comes in. A generous swirl into each bowl just before serving. It carries fresh basil flavour right into every spoonful without any extra work — no pestle and mortar, no chopping, nothing. Just open the bottle and pour.

Add it at the end rather than into the hot soup. The flavour stays cleaner that way and you get that hit of basil in every mouthful rather than it cooking off into the background.

Bread Is Non-Negotiable

Serve this with the best crusty bread you can find. The whole point of a soup this good is having something to drag through the bowl at the end. If you’ve got stale bread sitting around, tear it into chunks, toss with a little olive oil and a crushed clove of garlic and toast in the oven — they go in at the end and soak up the soup in the best possible way.

Full recipe below: Roasted tomato soup with Wilson’s Foods Basil Oil — serves 4, ready in about an hour.

Roasted Tomato Soup

The kind of soup that makes the whole house smell incredible while it's cooking. Roasted tomatoes, slow-cooked onions, garlic, and a swirl of Wilson's Foods Basil Oil on top. That last bit is everything.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Servings: 4

Course: Main Course, Starter

Cuisine: Italian, South African

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 60 ml Wilson's Foods Extra Virgin Olive Oil plus extra for roasting
• 1 kg ripe tomatoes roughly chopped (or 2 x 400g tins quality plum tomatoes)
• 1 large onion peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 large carrot peeled and roughly chopped
• 4 cloves garlic peeled and sliced
• 1 bunch fresh basil
• 500 ml good quality vegetable stock
• sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• Wilson's Foods Basil Oil to finish
• crusty bread to serve

Method

 

1. Preheat your oven to 190°C. Spread the tomatoes across a large roasting tray, drizzle generously with Wilson's Foods Extra Virgin Olive Oil, season well with salt and pepper and roast for 35–40 minutes until soft, jammy and starting to caramelise at the edges.
2. While the tomatoes roast, add a good lug of Wilson's Foods Extra Virgin Olive Oil to a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, garlic and basil stalks. Cover and cook gently for 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes — you want everything soft and sweet, not browned.
3. Tip the roasted tomatoes and all their juices into the pot. Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes with the lid on.
4. Remove the soup from the heat. Season generously with salt and pepper and stir through a handful of fresh basil leaves. Blend with a stick blender until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
5. Ladle into warm bowls and finish each serving with a generous swirl of Wilson's Foods Basil Oil over the top. Serve immediately with crusty bread alongside.

This is the kind of soup that ends up on the regular rotation. Once you’ve made it you’ll know why — and so will everyone who eats it.

You’ll need Wilson’s Foods Extra Virgin Olive Oil for the cooking and Wilson’s Foods Basil Oil for the finish. Both are worth having in the cupboard well beyond this recipe.

Have a secret ingredient that takes your tomato soup somewhere special? Drop it in the comments — we’d love to know.