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.
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.
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.
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.
Let’s dive a little deeper into the steps for making tomato rice soup at home—with the oven as your flavor-intensifying helper.
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.
After the tomatoes roast, or at the very end of their oven time, you’ll sauté onion until some it’s soft and translucent.
Next, add all of the roasted tomatoes (and their juices!) to the pot with the onions, along with oregano and vegetable broth.
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.
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.
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.
Finally, you’ll stir fresh basil into the soup. This adds bright, fresh, and verdant notes to an otherwise very hearty, very earthy mixture.
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.
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.
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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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! 🙂
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!
So glad you liked it!
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 🙂
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!
Hooray! I am so glad.
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 =)
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.
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!
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!!!
such a perfect combination to warm up cold days 😀
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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!!!!
Thanks for tips food. I will make it for breakfast.
This looks like the best tomato soup ever! <3
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
It is! Fussy, vegetable despising ,husband approved! So good on a cool
rainy, fall day.
So happy you loved it, Alison!
I love tomato soup! These recipe is just perfect for autumn! 🙂