Roasted Tomato And Sweet Potato Soup

This creamy Roasted Tomato And Sweet Potato Soup is pure comfort food. It’s velvety smooth and just so happens to be vegan. The sweet potatoes add a nice sweetness to this soup along with adding to that creamy texture. The tomatoes and garlic are roasted ahead and add so much flavour to this tasty soup. This creamy tomato soup recipe is easy, delicious & healthy, as it’s made without cream. Although if you wanted it a bit richer tasting feel free to swirl in some heavy cream or serve with some crème fraîche.

I came across this recipe a few years back while I was killing time at a library in Trinidad. I came across a beautiful book called Cooking Kariwak Style: Taste of Tobago by Cynthia Hurd-Clovis. Such a beautifully photographed book with equally beautiful recipes. Of course I didn’t have a card to sign it out at the time and for some reason never did after even when I did get a library card. Anyways, while I waited I came across some wonderful recipes but only two stuck or at least the basic concepts of them, and to this day I make both of them all the time. The one is a beautiful coconut rice that is a staple which I switch up by adding veggies, peas or whatever I have to it, but the bones of the recipe always stays the same. More on that another time though. The other recipe that stood out to me was a tomato basil sweet potato soup. When I read it, right away I could taste it!! So I tried to remember the basics of it and recreated it as soon as I could.

I have never tasted the original at Kariwak Village Hotel, although I have eaten there before. It was several years ago. I don’t remember what I had, but I do remember that it was delicious! That’s why when I saw that book, I had to take a look at it.

When it came down to making the recipe I couldn’t remember any measurements but I knew the staple ingredients. So I just improvised and made my own rendition of it. So good!! Light but rich in flavour due to the basil, and the sweet potatoes give it a nice sweetness and depth and they take away any acidity of the tomatoes. I wanted my tomatoes to taste nice and sweet and a bit smoky so I roasted my tomatoes with garlic, rosemary and oregano. I could have eaten all the tomatoes off the baking sheet right as they came out of the oven — they smelled so good!! Hope you enjoy this warm bowl of goodness and please do let me know your thoughts on it!

All this has me feeling very nostalgic for Trinidad & Tobago. I must go back to Kariwak for a little nourishment the next time we are there. Hopefully they are still serving up this recipe because I would love to try the original!! In the meantime if you have an over-abundance of tomatoes and basil happening in your kitchen I strongly recommend you try this creamy Roasted Tomato And Sweet Potato Soup. It’s simple and a great summer to fall transitional soup.

Recipe

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 2 tbsps olive oil divided
• 1 tbsp of butter (replace with olive oil as an alternative)
• 6-8 small to medium sized tomatoes sliced or cut into quarters
• 4 cloves garlic skin off and crushed
• ¼ tsp each of fresh or dried rosemary and dried oregano
• 1 onion chopped
• 4 small to medium sized sweet potatoes peeled and chopped
• 4 cups of broth chicken or vegetable (plus more to thin out according to taste
• ½ cup of fresh chopped spinach (optional for a boost of greens)
• ½ cup of fresh basil sliced and more for garnish
• Salt and pepper to taste
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F and while that is preheating slice tomatoes and put on baking sheet with garlic. Drizzle over and toss with 1 tbsp of olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and herbs. Roast for about 20-30 min depending on the size of the slices. You want the skin to start to look wrinkly but you don’t want them completely dehydrated.
2. When the tomatoes are almost done, heat the remaining tbsp of olive oil and butter into a large pot and add the onions and sauté until soft and translucent. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Add the sweet potatoes to the pot and stir to coat
4. Carefully add the roasted tomatoes and garlic to the pot once out of the oven and give everything a good stir
5. Add broth and let simmer half covered with the lid for approx. 20 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are soft and almost falling apart (add more water or broth as needed — do not let it completely dry out, also test occasionally for seasoning)
6. Add in your sliced spinach (if using) and simmer for a few more minutes until it’s wilted
7. Take the pot off the heat and using an immersion blender (could also do batches in a blender and then return to pot) blend soup to the consistency you desire (I like it smooth but with a few veggie stragglers left for a little more texture)
8. Stir in your sliced basil
9. Serve with crusty bread.
   

Recipe Notes

• You don’t have to roast the tomatoes if you don’t have the time. But the roasted tomatoes and garlic are really what put this soup over the top. You can slice and add them fresh or even used canned whole tomatoes with their juices.
• In a bind and don’t have fresh basil? If you have a jar of Pesto you can add in a tsp or two to the soup at the end and it will give it a similar flavour but really and truly nothing beats fresh basil.
• If you want to add some richness to this soup feel free to swirl some heavy cream into it or serve with some crème fraîche swirled in