This Vegan Tomato Soup is loaded with luscious roasted tomatoes, garlic, thyme, and a dash of cayenne, and is a breeze to make. It's perfect for chilly days but is great for any time of year!
I have such fond memories of Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup days from my youth. Now I guess that "youth" is a relative term, correct? I guess I should say "childhood"--because in 20 years, where I'm at now will be "youth" too.
Anyhow, those drippy ooey gooey toasted bread and cheese sandwiches (likely made from Wonder Bread and "American Cheeze" slices --yikes!--that had been slathered with margarine--double yikes) that were only made better when they were dipped into a bowl of Campbell's Tomato Soup.
Yes, we indulged in a lot of fake food in my childhood. Sigh.
Fast forward to today.
Things have changed.
No Wonder Bread has ever been in the house --and there's also never been any American "Cheeze food," and no margarine either.
And well, no Campbell's.
Now, I'm not perfect, but we're trying to be as healthy as possible in our house.
Whole Foodie Grilled Cheese, anyone?
I plan to work on a whole food grilled cheese sandwich for the blog later (a dairy-free one for my dairy-allergic son), but today I'm sharing this Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup for you that is sure to give Campbell's a run for the money.
Hey, speaking of---how about making a Healthier Grilled Cheese out of this Focaccia Flax Bread and your favorite regular or vegan cheese? Mmmmm.....
It's a seriously-delicious vegan tomato soup that is made just right with roasted tomatoes, garlic, and thyme, and is suitable for all the grilled cheese dipping or mug sipping that you care to do.
And bonus--it even works as a dip .....and of course it can--we all remember dipping our Grilled Cheese in our soup, right? Why not dip veggies and more too?
Just make the soup as thick or as thin as you'd like, and dip away.
About This Vegan Tomato Soup
This soup is fantastic for several reasons. It tastes great and it's super easy to make (especially if you roast the veggies in a pan), and it's of course loaded with the healthful benefits of tomatoes.
And there's something super fun about whipping up soup in a blender. Not sure why, but it's this kind of freeing thing. No big pot on the stove. Just you and the blender.
I love my blender. Personally, I have a Vitamix (you can also order it on Amazon, but if you buy off of my affiliate link to Vitamix's website you get free shipping) and love being able to make Coconut Milk, Powdered Sugar, Almond Butter, Coconut Butter, Rice Milk, sorbets, and more. But soup?
Yes - blender soup!
Can You Roast Tomatoes In a Pan?
You totally can do that. I've done it myself and it works out pretty well! There's something special about roasting in the oven, but if you don't have time, or don't want to heat up the kitchen, just pop everything in the pan and cook until they're caramelized.
Recipe Notes
Tomatoes: You can use whatever tomatoes you like. The recipe indicates large tomatoes, but you could of course roast Roma tomatoes or Cherry tomatoes--and in a pinch you could use jarred tomatoes and even roast those in a large pot or pan--in that case you will have a thinner soup, but it will still be delicious. These fire-roasted tomatoes would be a fantastic choice if you are going to go the canned tomato route.
Cashew Alternatives: Hemp seeds or macadamias are a great alternative for the cashews. I haven't tried them yet, but they should work out just fine.
Special Diet Notes
Paleo: This soup is paleo.
AIP: This soup can be made AIP Protocol compliant by roasting vegetables like carrots, beets, and celery for the base, and then using dried coconut (or add about 1/3 to 1/2 cup coconut milk) instead of the cashews. I think it would work well!
THM: For those on the Trim Healthy Mama eating plan, this soup is a THM:S recipe.
Vegan: This soup is vegan as written.
Keto: This soup is pretty low-carb but cashews are a bit higher carb for a nut. Using Hemp seeds works great and is lower carb. Additionally using heavy cream is a great option as well. I haven't made it that way but it would be a lovely option.
What You Will Need
Baking pan
Blender (As I said earlier, I HIGHLY recommend this blender. I even use it every day multiple times.)
If you make this soup, I'd love it if you'd tag me on Instagram or post a photo or comment on Pinterest!
Let's spread the word that healthy living can be fun and delicious!
Creamy Vegan Roasted Tomato Soup
Ingredients
- 6 large tomatoes, cut in half (or about 42 ounces of whole canned tomatoes)
- 1 medium onion (cut into chunks)
- 1 whole garlic bulb (with top cut off about ½”, to expose cloves)
- 2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves (or 2 tsp dried thyme)
- 1/4 cup raw cashews (see Recipe Notes for alternatives)
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp chicken bouillon (or 1 tsp of this vegetable broth mix)
- broth or coconut milk (optional)
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Soak cashews in water for 1-4 hours, then rinse and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 400° F.
- Place the tomatoes (with the cut side facing up), onion, and garlic bulb on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the thyme leaves and salt and pepper over top.
- Drizzle with olive oil.
- Bake for 30-40 min or until the edges of the onion, garlic, and tomatoes start to caramelize.
- Add roasted tomatoes, onion, desired amount of garlic, and scraped pan drippings to a blender.
- Add in the cashew nuts, cayenne pepper, and bouillon. Blend until smooth.
- Adjust seasonings to taste and add broth or milk until desired consistency is reached.
- Heat, top with fresh or dried parsley, nutritional yeast, or cheese (if desired), and serve.
Nutrition
Can't wait to hear what you think about this soup!
Hello. I know you do a lot of dairy free for your family, however, I'm on the KETO diet, and would like to make this KETO friendly. I also know that you made this just as it is, without modifications. Are the cashews for making it thick? I' like to make this with heavy cream, so I'd probably leave out the cashews and use that instead.
Hello there and yes, great points. I actually did have a hemp option in there for a lower carb nut--we are having caching issues w/ the site and some changes aren't taking. Working on it. I just updated the post for you with your suggestion about cream. Let me know if that helps and yes, the cashews are for thickening but also for the creaminess. Hope that helps and that you like it!