The Major Cooking Mistake That Ruins Tomato Soup Every Time

Tomato soup is pretty simple to make, but if you are using fresh tomatoes and forget this critical step, you could end up ruining your soup. Everyone makes mistakes with tomato soup, but to properly make this classic, you need to make certain that your tomatoes are not undercooked. Undercooked tomatoes are more difficult to blend to create that smooth texture that is synonymous with tomato soup. This generally isn't an issue if you are using crushed canned tomatoes, but if you are using fresh tomatoes, it's a different story. 

It is critical that you first roast any fresh tomatoes you might be using. This will do two things: Roasting tomatoes caramelizes their sugars, amplifying that tomato-sweet intensity your mouth knows and loves. Second, it will make them nice and soft so they are easy to break down and blend with your immersion blender. Not to mention, when you skip the roasting process, you are missing out on the smoky, sweet taste which alters your overall tomato soup slurping experience. The good news is it doesn't take long to roast tomatoes to create this pop of flavor.  

Roasting your tomatoes only takes about 30 minutes and at the end of that half hour you have these beautiful charred tomatoes on the outside and their sweet juices concentrated and delicious ready to impart that loveliness to your soup. You will know they are done when the skins slip right off these beautiful fruits and they look soft, shiny, and jammy.

What are the best tomatoes to use for roasting? You can put any number of different varieties of tomatoes on a baking sheet and roast them. Plum, Roma, Campari, and cherry all work well for tomato soup; however, if you like fewer seeds, use a Roma. They are meatier tomatoes and tend to have a mild but sweet flavor that is perfect in a soup or sauce.

In addition to softening your tomatoes, roasting also helps you build the flavor of your tomato soup. Throw some garlic cloves onto your sheet pan, sprinkle your tomatoes with a little salt, and add some thyme, basil, oregano, or whatever herbs and spices you like to use to make your tomato soup. As the tomatoes roast, they will be infused with all of the wonderful flavors and aromas of these ingredients as well.