Roasted Tomato Rice Soup with Basil
2.80 from 5 votes

This vegan roasted tomato rice soup is hearty and has an incredible depth of flavor. The soup is made with oven-roasted, fresh plum tomatoes and whole garlic cloves, which are puréed after roasting. Rice cooks directly in the soup at the end of the recipe, resulting in a wholesome bowl of comfort that is a meal unto itself.

Rice has been stirred into a creamy vegan roasted tomato rice soup. It's served in a white bowl and placed on a white surface.

Many of us grew up with tomato soup as one of our top comfort foods. I certainly did!

In adulthood, I’ve added tomato soup to the vegan soup recipes that keep me warm and cozy. It’s always a wonderfully nostalgic dish for me to eat.

This recipe is a little different. It’s tomato soup, but it’s elevated and has a few key twists.

The first of these is that the soup is made with oven-roasted tomatoes. Where as canned tomatoes come in handy for my pantry tomato soup, this soup uses fresh, in-season tomatoes that turn sweet and ultra juicy in the oven.

I make a lot of recipes with tomatoes—they’re one of my favorite ingredients—and I’m always struck by how wonderfully they’re transformed with oven-roasting.

As a result of oven-roasting, the plum tomatoes that are the base of this soup take on incredible depth of flavor. They spend some time on the stovetop after roasting and being puréed, which only intensifies their taste.

The second distinguishing feature of this recipe is that it’s a roasted tomato rice soup, rather than a plain tomato soup.

Why the addition of rice? So many reasons! Texture, for one thing: I love how the rice thickens the soup and gives it a nice, hearty consistency.

Also, rice helps to make the soup more filling than it would be otherwise. Whereas I often serve tomato soup with toast (or vegan grilled cheese), this is really more of a meal on its own.

I’m so excited to share this comfort food dish with you.

Rice has been stirred into a creamy vegan roasted tomato rice soup. It's served in a white bowl and placed on a white surface.

Oven-roasting tomatoes: more is more!

There’s so much pressure on recipe developers to offer quick and easy recipes.

And believe me, I understand this demand! With each year, I feel as though my tolerance for longer cooking processes gets a little bit lower, and I myself craze ease above all.

With that said, there are times when longer cooking time or more steps really does make a positive difference in a recipe. And the oven-roasting called for in this recipe is a great example.

Roasted tomatoes are delightful. Oven roasting brings out tomatoes’ natural sweetness and concentrates their flavor.

I love making simple oven-roasted cherry tomatoes for toast or adding to bowls. And I love roasting plum, otherwise known as Roma, tomatoes for this incredible soup.

After the tomatoes are roasted, you’ll simmer them with some sautéed onion and seasonings. Then, you’ll purée the soup. And finally, you add rice.

These steps are also purposeful. The simmering time lets your soup flavors meld. And adding the rice to the purée thickens the soup in a beautiful way.

The process of making roasted tomato rice soup proves that sometimes, more is more.

Do I even need to add the rice?

When I first developed this soup recipe, the rice was pre-cooked, and it was optional. In other words, you could serve the soup with our without the rice.

That’s still an option. The puréed, roasted tomato soup will still taste wonderful without the rice. It will be less thick and hearty, more of an appetizer than a meal.

Personally, I just love the stick-to-your-ribs quality of a tomato rice soup. Like tomato bread soup, which is another perennial favorite, it’s pure comfort.

How to make roasted tomato rice soup with basil

Let’s dive a little deeper into the steps for making tomato rice soup at home—with the oven as your flavor-intensifying helper.

Step 1: Roast the plum tomatoes

You’ll need about four pounds of plum tomatoes to make the roasted tomato rice soup. I know this sounds like a lot, and it is a lot, but of course they volume will change considerably after roasting and puréeing.

If you can’t find plum tomatoes, then it’s fine to use small, beefsteak tomatoes instead. Cut them into quarters.

Plum tomatoes, which are what the recipe calls for, can be halved if they’re a bit smaller, quartered if they’re large.

Place the tomatoes onto a foil-lined baking sheet, cut side up. Drizzle them with olive or avocado oil and nestle whole, peeled garlic cloves among them.

Roast the tomatoes at 400°F / 200°C for 50-60 minutes, or until they’re shrunken, juicy, and browning in spots. The garlic will be browning, too.

Step 2: Sauté onions

After the tomatoes roast, or at the very end of their oven time, you’ll sauté onion until some it’s soft and translucent.

Step 3: Simmer the tomatoes and onions

Next, add all of the roasted tomatoes (and their juices!) to the pot with the onions, along with oregano and vegetable broth.

Roasted tomatoes are pictured in a metal pot with sautéed onion.
Adding tomatoes to sautéed onions and simmering them with broth and herbs allows the flavor of the soup to mingle.

Bring this mixture to a boil, then turn the heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes; this will give the onions and tomatoes and oregano a chance to meld flavors.

Step 4: Purée

After this simmering time, you’ll use an immersion blender to blend the soup until it’s smooth and even. A standing blender also works for the job, but you may need to work in batches.

Step 5: Add the rice to the puréed soup

After you purée the soup, you’ll add it back to the soup pot.

Then, stir in your white rice. Bring the soup back to a simmer, turn the heat to low, and simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes.

This ought to be enough time to cook the rice through. Once the rice is cooked, you’ll have a thick, hearty, and rustic tomato soup on your hands.

Step 6: Stir in the basil

Finally, you’ll stir fresh basil into the soup. This adds bright, fresh, and verdant notes to an otherwise very hearty, very earthy mixture.

A batch of creamy tomato soup is pictured in a large pot.
Basil gives this intensely flavored soup some notes of brightness and freshness.

Step 6: Serve

Once the rice is cooked and the basil is incorporated, it’s time to serve your soup.

As a finishing touch, I like an extra topping of basil chiffonade and a drizzle of olive oil. However, some cashew parmesan cheese is also a lovely topping.

Whether you keep the toppings simple or elaborate, it’s hard not to love this savory, sweet, and umami-rich soup.

Meal prep & storage

I consider the roasted tomato rice soup a great candidate for make ahead and meal prep. Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, and the soup can be frozen for up to 8 weeks.

Defrost the soup in the fridge overnight before reheating.

Rice has been stirred into a creamy vegan roasted tomato rice soup. It's served in a white bowl and placed on a white surface.
2.80 from 5 votes

Roasted Tomato Rice Soup with Basil (Vegan)

Author – Gena Hamshaw
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 27 minutes
Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup long grain white rice (120)
  • 4 pounds plum tomatoes, halved or quartered, depending on the size (1.8kg)
  • 10 large garlic cloves, peeled
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 large white or yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
  • 4 cups vegetable broth (1 quart/950ml)
  • 1 cup water, plus extra as needed (240ml)
  • 1/2 tablespoon fresh oregano (substitute 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano)
  • 1/2 cup basil, chiffonade, lightly packed, plus extra for garnish (10g)
  • Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

Instructions

  • Fill a medium bowl with water and add the rice; there should be enough water to submerge the rice by a few inches. Use your fingers to swish the rice grains around, helping to release some of their starch. Allow the rice to soak while you roast and simmer the tomatoes.
  • Preheat your oven to 400°F/200°C. Place the tomatoes, cut side up, onto two half-sized, foil-lined baking sheets. If you don't have two baking sheets, you can substitute one of the baking sheets with a 9 by 13-inch / 24 by 36cm baking dish).
  • Drizzle the tomatoes evenly with two tablespoons of the olive oil. Sprinkle them generously with salt and a few turns of black pepper. Nestle the garlic cloves in between the tomatoes. Roast the tomatoes for 50-60 minutes, or until they're browning on the bottoms and have released some of their juices. Because plum tomatoes are on the larger side, they won't have collapsed entirely, which is good; they should still have some shape and juiciness within.
  • Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the sliced onion, along with a pinch of salt. Sauté for 8 minutes, or until the onions are translucent and soft.
  • Add the tomatoes, along with all of their roasting juices, to the pot, along with the vegetable broth, thyme, and oregano. Bring the whole mixture to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
  • Transfer the soup in batches to a blender and blend till you have a smooth, puréed soup. Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender to purée the soup in the pot.
  • Drain and rinse the rice once more.
  • Return the soup to the pot and bring it to a simmer over high heat. Turn the heat to medium low and stir in the rice. Cover the pot and simmer the soup for 20 minutes, or until the rice is fully tender. Stir in the basil.
  • Taste the soup and add additional salt and/or crushed red pepper flakes to taste. If the soup is too thick for your liking, you can stir in a little water to loosen it up; however, it should be a relatively thick soup.
  • Divide soup into bowls and garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and basil chiffonade, if desired. Serve.

No matter how you serve this tomato rice soup—with or without rice, with or without toast, as a side or as a main dish—you’ll love the combination of sweet roasted tomato and garlic, all highlighted by the peppery basil.

I hope you enjoy it!

xo

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Categories: Recipes, Soups, Stews
Method: One Pot, Stovetop
Ingredients: Rice, Tomatoes
Dietary Preferences: Gluten Free, Soy Free, Tree Nut Free, Vegan
Recipe Features: Meal Prep

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    22 Comments
  1. Hi Gena ~ About to finish making this soup (have been wanting to make this since I came across it a while back). I know you’re most likely not going to answer my Q before I need you to, but that’s ok. I’m pretty sure I know the answer, but just want to confirm. You don’t mention also adding the roasted garlic cloves when adding the roasted tomatoes and their juices to the pot with caramelized onions … I can’t imagine we are to discard them. But yah, please do tell me they ARE to be included because THAT is exactly what I’m going to do (lol). Just makes sense … and can’t imagine that them being nestled among the tomatoes, while roasting, would impart enough flavor … just thought I’d ask since it wasn’t mentioned. Thanks and I’m sure it’s going to be wonderful. 🙂

    • Dana,

      Actually, I find that roasting whole garlic cloves with veggies does impart a ton of flavor, in and of itself! But if you have cloves that are still plump and squeezable after the roasting process, go ahead and add them for sure.

      G

    • All is good. It was just as wonderul as I hoped it would be (probably even more). AND, my girlfriend who detests tomatoes (raw) was a bit leary to try it, actually LOVED it just as much as me. Thanks so much for the recipe. This will for sure be a staple soup for us, for fall and throughout the winter. Yum yum! 🙂

  2. Just made this with leftover sliced tomatoes and onions that I from a bbq today… PERFECT recipe! Even worked fine with sliced tomatoes instead of halved/quartered. And without the rice, super easy to make paleo!

  3. This recipe is beautiful and sweet and everything I want in a soup. I am always making brothy or creamy soups, eating them like that the first night, then stirring cooked grains in the next night to thicken them up and create a new texture.

    Tomato soup is something I associate with my childhood … even though when I was growing up it came out of a can! I love to make my own now, and this recipe is going on the top of my list. Thank you so much for sharing 🙂

  4. Ok, I made this soup on Sunday. It was delicious! The roasted tomatoes add such a decadent sweetness. Even my meat loving boyfriend thought it was fantastic and filling. The rice is the perfect addition! I will definitely be making again!

  5. This sounds like a very good soup. And tomatoes are about to leave the markets, I’ll grab a bunch up to make a big batch of this to have some freezer soup for the winter =)

  6. I love adding rice or other grains to my soup! I made a batch of tortilla soup recently that just looked so sad and water I ended up throwing in a bunch of quinoa and it got the texture to practically perfect, plus added that extra bit of heartiness. Definitely going to give this one a try!

    • Love this! I love a hearty texture, and for me, grains change soup from a side dish into a meal. Tortilla soup with quinoa sounds lovely, and like a cool alternative to my usual (which is loading it up with tortilla strips!). Hope you’re well, friend.

  7. I love rice in soup!! It definitely contributes to that “full” feeling, which I’m really looking for as the weather gets colder. It’s so funny how our tastes change from summer to fall!

  8. What a lovely looking soup – I could almost lick the screen! I like whole grains in soups – I think the contrast works well. Good luck with the book!!!

  9. This is literally the most delicious thing I’ve seen all week. I’m weak in the knees for tomato soup … it’s been a huge favorite since I was a kid! I bet a piece of sprouted grain toast would just be delicious, love the options you give here!! CONGRATS ON THE BOOK RELEASE TOO!!!!

  10. Hi Gena–wow, this looks fabulous and is my kind of tomato soup! I may have to trade my remainingi Urban Farmhouse “slugs” in for some tomatoes to roast. 🙂 And any recipe process deserving of the adjective “felicitous” has my vote. 🙂 I have added uncooked rice to tomato soup creations over the years and it will work just fine that way, too. Ditto for the other grains. It’s all good!! Thank you!! xo

    • Good to know about the rice cooking method, Maria. That’s the nice thing about cooking soups — it’s such a forgiving process!
      I hope you enjoy the recipe — I remember your saying that you roasted veggies with white balsamic sometimes, and I bet that would work very well here. xo