Tomato soup doesn’t have to be boring. My creamy roasted Tomato Feta Soup with Pesto Chickpeas is packed with so much flavor and it’s easy to make. The oven and blender do most of the work, and you can easily prep this soup ahead of time. This elevated tomato soup recipe is freezer friendly and can be enjoyed for lunch or dinner.
While we’re not quite having the kind of winter that the east coast is having right now, it is still very much soup season here in New Mexico. I’ve been trying to post more chunky soup recipes lately, but if I’m being honest, creamy soups have always been my favorite. Blending the soup up ensures that you get every flavor in each bite. This particular creamy soup is packed with roasted tomato, onion and garlic, as well as salty feta cheese. The feta adds great flavor and the crunchy pesto chickpeas add extra protein and texture.
Why You’ll Love This Creamy Tomato Soup
- Easy to make – This tomato soup comes together mostly on a sheet pan in the oven, and then gets blended up in a high speed blender. I love this method because you don’t have to constantly watch over a pot of soup, waiting for it to be done.
- Packed with flavor – Roasting vegetables really brings out their natural sweet flavors, so it is one of my preferred ways of cooking vegetables. The feta cheese also adds a nice saltiness that pairs perfectly with the tomatoes, onion and garlic.
- Great for meal prep – Soup is one of the easiest things to meal prep. I like to make a big pot and then freeze it in individual portions for easy access during busy weeks. It can be enjoyed for lunch or dinner.
Why Your Body Will Love This Cozy Soup Recipe
- Cardiovascular Health – Garlic and onion contain allicin, a sulfur-containing compound responsible for its pungent taste and smell. Allicin has vasodilatory effects, helping to relax blood vessels and improve blood flow inside the body. This can lower blood pressure, reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke.
- Antioxidants – Tomatoes boast antioxidant power. Antioxidants help neutralize harmful free radicals in the blood, and the lycopene in tomatoes may help reduce the risk of chronic diseases, including heart disease and cancer. Tomatoes are also high in vitamin C, which supports our immune systems.
Tomato Feta Soup Recipe Ingredients
- Tomatoes – I use fresh tomatoes for this soup recipe, that get roasted in the oven and then blended up in the blender. Any kind of tomatoes will work for this soup, but it is a great way to use up tomatoes that you may not normally enjoy raw, like roma tomatoes. This recipe is not meant to be made using canned tomatoes.
- Onion – I like to use yellow onion for this recipe, but any color of onion will work. You can even use shallots if you prefer.
- Garlic – You can use however much garlic you like for this recipe. I like to throw on about 4-5 cloves of garlic to the baking sheet. The garlic is more mild in flavor after it’s been roasted, so you can be generous with it.
- Feta Cheese – Feta cheese is salty, tart and creamy. I like to add the feta to the blender, at room temperature, so that it mixes in smoothly. Goat cheese could also be used.
- Maple Syrup + Vinegar – I like to add in a couple teaspoons of pure maple syrup and white vinegar when blending the soup together. I find that they help to balance all the flavors out. You could also add in a teaspoon of white sugar, if you prefer.
- Pesto Chickpeas – The pesto chickpeas are an optional addition to the soup, but they add fresh flavor, protein and a crunchy texture. I just mix up a can of chickpeas with some prepared pesto sauce and bake in the oven until crispy. Allow to cool and then garnish the tomato soup with them.
How To Make Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup
- Heat oven to 425 degrees F. and lay out an extra large baking sheet. Chop the tomatoes into halves, quarters or sixths depending on how large they are. I used large beefsteak tomatoes and cut them into about 6 slices each. If using roma tomatoes, just slice them in half.
- Add the chopped tomatoes onto a large sheet pan, along with the onion and garlic cloves. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Use your hands to toss everything together to make sure all the onions and tomatoes are coated.
- Place in the pre-heated oven and roast until vegetables are softened and starting to caramelize, about 45 minutes, flipping everything halfway through. Remove from the oven and carefully add the roasted tomatoes, onion and garlic to a food processor. Add in the crumbled feta cheese and turn the blender on high speed.
- Slowly pour in the vegetable broth, while the blender is still going, until desired consistency is reached. I used about 1/2 cup of broth. I prefer my soup smooth and creamy, but you can make yours a little chunkier if you like. Soup can be served from the blender, or you can add it to a pot and re-heat, if needed.
- To make the pesto chickpeas: rinse and dry the canned chickpeas and add them to a medium sized baking sheet. Spoon on the pesto sauce and then use your hands to toss together until chickpeas are fully coated with the pesto. Sprinkle on a pinch of salt to the top of them and place in the oven. Roast chickpeas until they are starting to brown and crisp up, 15-20 minutes, stirring a few times during the cooking process.
Recipe Frequently Asked Questions
- This recipe is gluten free.
- Make this recipe vegan by using a vegan feta cheese substitute.
- Is this tomato soup spicy? No, I don’t make mine spicy, but you are welcome to add some Calabrian chili paste, or red pepper flakes if you want yours spicy.
- Can canned tomatoes be used? This specific recipe isn’t meant for canned tomatoes, since the fresh tomatoes get roasted in the oven.
- Is this soup freezer friendly? Yes, allow for soup to cool completely and then store it in a freezer safe container, for up to 3 months. Defrost in the microwave or on the stovetop.
- How long do leftovers last? If stored in an air-tight container, in the refrigerator, leftovers should last about 4-5 days. Re-heat in the microwave or in a pot on the stovetop.
Have a question I didn’t answer? Ask me in the comment section below and I will get back to you ASAP!
Looking For More Creamy Vegetarian Soup Recipes?
Creamy Pinto Bean Pumpkin Soup
Veggie Packed Broccoli Cheddar Soup
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Creamy Roasted Tomato Feta Soup
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 3-4 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Tomato soup doesn’t have to be boring. My creamy roasted Tomato Feta Soup with Pesto Chickpeas is packed with so much flavor and it’s easy to make. The oven and blender do most of the work, and you can easily prep this soup ahead of time. This elevated tomato soup recipe is freezer friendly and can be enjoyed for lunch or dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
- 6 large tomatoes, or 12-15 smaller tomatoes
- 1 large yellow onion, skin removed and chopped into about 6 pieces
- 4-6 peeled cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 8 oz feta cheese, softened at room temperature and then diced, or crumbled up
- 1/3 cup – 1/2 cup vegetable broth, or water (you may use more or less, depending on how thick you want your soup)
Pesto Chickpeas
- 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup prepared pesto sauce
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425 degrees F. and lay out an extra large baking sheet. Chop the tomatoes into halves, quarters or sixths depending on how large they are. I used large beefsteak tomatoes and cut them into about 6 slices each. If using roma tomatoes, just slice them in half.
- Add the chopped tomatoes onto a large sheet pan, along with the onion and garlic cloves. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Use your hands to toss everything together to make sure all the onions and tomatoes are coated.
- Place in the pre-heated oven and roast until vegetables are softened and starting to caramelize, about 45 minutes, flipping everything halfway through. Remove from the oven and carefully add the roasted tomatoes, onion and garlic to a food processor. Add in the crumbled feta cheese and turn the blender on high speed.
- Slowly pour in the vegetable broth, while the blender is still going, until desired consistency is reached. I used about 1/2 cup of broth. I prefer my soup smooth and creamy, but you can make yours a little chunkier if you like. Soup can be served from the blender, or you can add it to a pot and re-heat, if needed.
- To make the pesto chickpeas: rinse and dry the canned chickpeas and add them to a medium sized baking sheet. Spoon on the pesto sauce and then use your hands to toss together until chickpeas are fully coated with the pesto. Sprinkle on a pinch of salt to the top of them and place in the oven. Roast chickpeas until they are starting to brown and crisp up, 15-20 minutes, stirring a few times during the cooking process.
- Pour soup into bowls and top with pesto chickpeas, crumbled feta cheese and fresh herbs, if you like.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 60 mins
- Category: Lunch, Vegetarian
- Method: Blender, Oven
- Cuisine: American
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