Roasted Green Tomato Soup

If you end up with a shipload of green tomatoes at the end of the season or even if you indulge a bit on them in late summer, you will be looking for creative ways to cook them up. Fried green tomatoes are what folks usually think of and that’s a fine option. Once you taste the unique flavor of roasted green tomatoes, you will start getting creative with them. (Read more about roasted green tomatoes here.)

We love to turn those roasted green tomatoes into a tasty pureed soup. What could be simpler? With the roasted tomatoes and a head of roasted garlic coming fresh from the oven, put some of your finest chicken broth into the soup pot to start warming while you puree tomatoes and garlic. Add the puree to the broth and you have soup.

You may want to thicken your soup. I used enough tomatoes that the soup needed no thickening. You could add some fresh herbs like dill or basil. I just added salt and pepper — there was plenty of flavor already. Freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese is a perfect companion and garnish for this soup. Remember that the cheese is fairly salty, so allow each person to adjust the salt in their own servings after stirring in the cheese.

Heavy cream is a key ingredient for this dish. The cream balances off the sharpness of the tomatoes and pulls all the flavors together. You can either stir in the cream while the soup is still in the pot, or drizzle it over the soup that has been ladled and let each person mix in their own cream.

If you do the drizzle, the cream becomes part of the garnish, a nice touch. For the creamed soup consider sprinkling it with tomato powder. The color contrast is bright and the flavor addition works well. The herbal garnish pictured here is a sprig of flowering Greek oregano, which also adds a touch of flavor even though it is only used as a garnish.

Roasted Green Tomato Soup Ingredients

• 2-3 pounds of green tomatoes that have been roasted
• 1 head of garlic, roasted on the pan with the tomatoes
• 1 quart or more of quality chicken bone broth (or substitute a flavorful vegetable broth)
• 2 tablespoon dry white wine
• 1 pint or more of heavy cream
• 3/4 cup freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• Thickener of choice such as arrowroot or tapioca flour
• A fresh herb garnish like basil, dill, or oregano

Roasted Green Tomato Soup Steps

1. Warm the broth and wine. Begin with 2/3 of the quart of broth. You can add more later when you decide how thick or thin you want the soup. You could go even stronger on the chicken flavor by using more than a quart of broth.
2. Puree the roasted tomatoes and peeled roasted garlic cloves in a food processor or blender. We have a large food processor that I use for jobs like this.
3. Add the puree to the broth and blend well. Taste for salt and pepper. Go light on the salt because you will be adding a salty cheese.
4. Add the cream in this step if you are creating a “creamed” soup. Add the cream slowly and taste as you go. You may want more or less.
5. Add a thickener if you want a soup with a bit more body. I like using tapioca flour. It thickens to a silky smooth texture without adding flavor or color.
6. Ladle the finished soup into warmed bowls. Garnish with Romano or Parmesan cheese and some fresh herb.
7. Have extra cream and cheese on the side for those who would like more of either.