Roasted Tomato Soup with Feta Cheese
This roasted tomato soup with feta cheese is a velvety vegetarian cream soup made by oven-roasting cherry tomatoes with garlic and olive oil, then blending and straining them until silky. It is finished with salty feta cubes, fresh basil, and whole-grain croutons. Healthy, quick, and full of deep, sweet-savory flavor.
This recipe came to life on a day when I had one kilo of fresh cherry tomatoes left from this summer’s harvest, and I thought it was the perfect occasion to put them to use. I am a big fan of soups, and of cream soups especially, but I can whole-heartedly say this one is something else. The inspiration came from that roasted cherry tomatoes and feta combo everyone around the world was testing. I made it too, and one day, looking at the juiciness inside the pan of cherry tomatoes and feta freshly taken out of the oven, I immediately knew I had to transform it into a soup. I am so glad I did.
I combined the deliciously sweet tomato taste with salty, tangy cubes of feta cheese, a combo I absolutely adore. The contrast between the warm, creamy soup and the crunchy bread on top is one of my favorite things in the world. If you are dreaming of making the ultimate tomato soup, my best advice is to roast the tomatoes in the oven before putting them in the blender. That single step is a real game-changer.
This Recipe Works If You Need
- A way to use up a glut of end-of-season tomatoes before they go soft.
- A cozy, warming bowl for a cold day that still feels light rather than heavy.
- A quick vegetarian lunch or starter that tastes far more impressive than the effort it takes.
- A soup that turns the viral baked tomatoes-and-feta combo into something you can eat with a spoon.
- A make-ahead option you can roast, blend, and reheat across a busy week.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Deep roasted flavor: roasting the tomatoes before blending caramelizes their natural sugars and concentrates their taste, transforming a simple tomato into an entire universe of flavor.
- Sweet meets salty: the deliciously sweet roasted tomatoes against salty, tangy feta cubes is a combo I absolutely adore, and it is what makes this bowl memorable.
- Silky-smooth texture: straining the blended soup removes the seeds and skins, leaving it extra creamy without a drop of cream.
- Quick and uncomplicated: the oven does the heavy lifting while you do nothing, and most of the time is hands-off.
- Naturally vegetarian and wholesome: just tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, herbs, and feta, with no flour, no dairy cream, and nothing artificial.
- That crunchy contrast: the warm, creamy soup against crunchy whole-grain croutons is one of my favorite things in the world.
Ingredient Notes
Cherry tomatoes: these are the heart of the soup, and I chose them on purpose. I prefer cherry tomatoes because they are sweeter and have smaller, fewer seeds, which means a richer base and less bitterness. When you buy them, look for fruit that is deeply colored, heavy for its size, and fragrant at the stem end. A tomato that smells like nothing will taste like nothing. If your tomatoes are pale or out of season, that is exactly when roasting saves the day by coaxing out sweetness they would not show raw. You can use any other type of tomato you like, but the cherry ones give the best result here.
Olive oil: three tablespoons coat the tomatoes so they roast instead of steam and pick up those caramelized edges. Use a good extra-virgin oil since its flavor carries straight into the finished soup. Make sure every tomato is lightly slicked before it goes in the oven.
Garlic: six whole cloves roasted alongside the tomatoes turn soft, sweet, and mellow, with none of the harsh bite raw garlic would bring. Leave the cloves whole rather than mincing them so they do not scorch during the long roast. Roasted garlic blended into the soup adds a quiet depth most people cannot quite name.
Fresh basil: basil is the herb that makes tomato sing, and I add it fresh and chopped right at the end so it keeps its bright, peppery aroma. Add it raw rather than cooking it, since heat dulls its perfume. Choose leaves that are perky and vivid green, not bruised or darkened.
Feta cheese: 100 grams cut into small cubes brings the salty, tangy contrast against the sweet tomato that I absolutely adore. A real brined feta, firm enough to hold its shape, gives you those distinct salty pockets in every spoonful rather than melting away. Cube it just before serving so the edges stay neat on top.
Whole-grain croutons: these are what deliver the crunch against the smooth soup. Whole-grain bread holds up better and adds a nutty note, and toasting your own from day-old bread beats anything from a bag. Scatter them on at the last second so they stay crisp.
Tips
- Roast, do not boil. This is the real game-changer. Roasting at 200C for 30 minutes drives off water and caramelizes the tomatoes’ sugars, which is what turns a simple tomato into an entire universe of flavor. You know they are ready when the skins have blistered, collapsed, and started to char at the edges, and the pan is full of glossy juices.
- Do not skip the strainer. After blending, pushing the soup through a large strainer over the pot catches the seeds and skins. This single step is what makes the soup extra creamy and smooth, and it is the difference between rustic and restaurant-silky.
- Blend long enough. Give it a full five minutes in the food processor. A common mistake is stopping too soon, which leaves it grainy. You want it completely smooth before it ever reaches the strainer.
- Season after blending, not just before. Roasting concentrates the tomatoes, so taste the finished soup and adjust the salt and pepper at the end. Remember the feta on top is salty too, so go gently.
- Add the toppings at the table. Feta, basil, and croutons all lose their charm if they sit in hot soup. Spoon the soup first, then crown each bowl right before serving so the croutons stay crunchy and the basil stays bright.
Substitutions and Variations
- Any tomato you have: cherry tomatoes are my favorite for their sweetness and small seeds, but Roma, vine, or plain ripe tomatoes all work. After all, it is your kitchen, your rules. I would only strongly recommend against canned tomatoes for tomato soups. I know they are super accessible, but the taste will not be the same.
- Make it vegan: swap the feta for cubes of a brined plant-based feta and use vegan croutons, and you keep all that sweet-and-salty contrast while losing the dairy.
- Add gentle heat: tuck a pinch of chili flakes or half a red chili in with the tomatoes before roasting for a warm background kick that plays beautifully with the sweetness.
- Build a heartier bowl: roast a red pepper or a small shallot alongside the tomatoes for extra body, or stir in a splash of stock if you prefer a thinner soup.
Storage and Make Ahead
This soup keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days, and the roasted flavor actually deepens overnight, which makes it a great make-ahead option. Store the soup base on its own and keep the feta, basil, and croutons separate so the toppings stay fresh and crunchy until serving. To reheat, warm it gently on the stove over low heat and stir, adding a splash of water if it has thickened. It also freezes nicely for up to three months, so I often roast a double batch when cherry tomatoes are at their peak.
If you love a warm, creamy bowl like I do, you will want to keep going. Some of the best ones I have made include this Cream of Parsnip Soup, this Cream of Avocado Soup, and this Cream of Vegetables Soup. And if you adored that roasted tomato and feta combo as much as I did, try turning it into dinner with my Roasted Tomatoes and Feta Cheese Pasta.
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Roasted Tomato Soup with Feta Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 kg cherry tomatoes you can use any other type of tomatoes you like; cherry tomatoes are sweeter and have fewer/smaller seeds
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves
- fresh basil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 100 g feta cheese cut into small cubes
- whole-grain croutons
Instructions
- Put the cherry tomatoes in a large ceramic oven casserole and drizzle them with olive oil. Add the garlic and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven at 200C for 30 minutes.
- Pour everything into a food processor and blend until smooth, for about 5 minutes.
- Use a large strainer and strain the contents over a soup pot. This step will make the soup extra creamy and smooth.
- Serve with feta cubes on top, croutons, and fresh chopped basil leaves.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
Roasting tomatoes in the oven before blending is the real game-changer for tomato soup. The dry oven heat drives off excess water and caramelizes the tomatoes’ natural sugars, concentrating their flavor and transforming a simple tomato into an entire universe of taste. Boiling can never build that same depth, which is why this version tastes so much richer.
Yes, you can use any type of tomato you like. I prefer cherry tomatoes because they are sweeter and have smaller, fewer seeds, which gives the soup a richer, less bitter base. Roma or ripe vine tomatoes also work well, and roasting helps coax sweetness out of tomatoes that are out of season.
This soup is vegetarian because it is topped with feta cheese, which is a dairy product. To make it fully vegan, swap the feta for a brined plant-based feta and use vegan croutons. The roasted tomato base itself contains no animal products, so the swap is simple.
Straining the blended soup through a large strainer catches the tomato seeds and skins that survive the food processor. This single step is what makes the soup extra creamy and silky-smooth, giving it a restaurant-quality texture without adding any cream or flour.
Yes, and it actually improves. The soup keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days, and the roasted flavor deepens overnight. Store the soup base separately from the feta, basil, and croutons so the toppings stay fresh, then reheat gently on the stove before serving. It also freezes for up to three months.
I strongly recommend against canned tomatoes for tomato soups. I know they are super accessible and easy to use, but the taste simply will not be the same. Fresh tomatoes that you roast yourself develop a sweet, caramelized depth that canned tomatoes cannot match.
soooo good! can’t wait for tomatoes to be in season again so I can make this soup again!