Roasted tomato soup made with slow-oven roasted tomatoes, garlic, and smoky paprika, blended until silky smooth for deep, comforting flavour. Served with a golden parmesan-crusted toastie filled with basil pesto and cheddar, it’s a cosy winter dish that brings warmth and brightness to every bite.
1,5 kg Food Lover’s Ripe Tomatoes, skins removed and halved
1 head of garlic
2 onions, quartered
2 red peppers, pips removed and quartered
15 ml (1 Tbsp) smoked paprika
15 ml (1 Tbsp) Food Lover’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil
salt and black pepper, to taste
250 ml (1 cup) tomato purée
500 ml (2 cups) vegetable stock
Cheese Toasties
1 Food Lover’s Soup Bread Loaf
60 ml (4 Tbsp) basil pesto
250ml (1 cup) mature cheddar cheese, grated
black pepper, to taste
125 ml (½ cup) grated parmesan
Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
Arrange the tomatoes, garlic, onions and red peppers on a baking tray. Sprinkle the smoked paprika and a dash of Food Lover’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil over. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are golden and cooked through.
Remove the tray from the oven, press out the softened garlic from the bulb and discard the skin. Place the garlic, tomato purée and vegetable stock in a blender and blitz until smooth.
Note: You might need to blend the soup in batches depending on the size of the blender, or use a stick blender with all the ingredients placed in a sauce pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Cut the bread into 1-cm slices.
Spread some basil pesto across each slice and sprinkle the grated cheddar cheese over. Season with black pepper to taste.
Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the outside of the sandwiches, then toast the sandwiches in the oven or toaster for about 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted and turned golden.
Serve with the tomato soup.
Chef’s tip:
Avoid placing the vegetables too close to one another on the baking tray as this will cause them to steam instead of roast, removing the smoky flavour. For the ultimate flavour, use Food Lover’s Spinach and Feta or Cheese and Onion Soup Bread.
Twist:
Instead of a standard cheese toastie or croutons, the toasties are made with a parmesan crust, basil pesto and cheddar.
