This Roasted Tomato Soup with Mascarpone Cheese is absolutely delicious, creamy, herby, and it comes together in under 35 minutes!
The delightful creaminess of the mascarpone cheese... the amazing flavors of roasted tomatoes and garlic wafting through your house... the warm bowl of creamy tomato soup. This soup is not just a recipe, it's an EXPERIENCE.
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Why use mascarpone cheese in soup
Mascarpone cheese is often used in Italian desserts, but it is the PERFECT cheese to add to soups because it adds richness and creaminess. Especially to soups like tomato soup that could use a little fat and creaminess to balance out their acidity.
This is a GREAT recipe to use up mascarpone cheese while making something that is nutritious, hearty, comforting, and delicious.
More comfort food soup recipes: Easy Italian Wedding Soup
Substitutions for mascarpone
Mascarpone cheese typically has 2 ingredients: heavy cream and lemon juice or citric acid (the acid component is what makes the cheese solid).
If you don't have mascarpone cheese, you can use heavy cream (aka double cream or whipping cream) or a dollop of sour cream to add richness and creaminess to soups... but since you're here, you're probably looking for a soup with mascarpone specifically.
More delicious soup recipes: Pureed Red Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 2 lb ripe tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1 small onion, sliced into 1-inch pieces
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- salt and pepper, to taste
- olive oil to spray your baking pan
- 1-2 bouillon cubes, to taste (or use 1-2 teaspoons of your favorite Better than Bouillon base, I love their Italian herb, no chicken, and seasoned vegetable flavors for vegetarian soups)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme (or use Italian seasoning)
- optional: ¼ teaspoon each sugar and baking soda (sugar to make the soup less sour, if needed, baking soda to make the soup a little bit less acidic if tomatoes give you heartburn)
- ¼ cup mascarpone cheese, plus extra for garnish
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves
- red pepper flakes, to taste
Related recipe: Authentic Pasta e Fagioli
Equipment
- Large baking sheet (mine is 11x17 inches—this one)
- Olive oil sprayer (I love this refillable one)
- 3-quart soup pot
- Immersion blender or regular blender
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Spray a large baking sheet with olive oil and arrange the sliced tomatoes on the baking sheet with the onion slices and garlic cloves between the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper.
Roast in a preheated oven for 30 minutes. Allow to cool a little after roasting to make sure you don't burn yourself.
Transfer the roasted tomatoes, onions, and garlic to a pot or blender. Do not transfer the juices yet.
Add the dried thyme and bouillon cubes and CAREFULLY puree with an immersion blender, making sure the bouillon cubes are pureed. If the soup is too thick, add the juices from the pan or a drizzle of water.
Give the soup a taste, and add salt and pepper, if needed. Add sugar if the soup is too tangy, and a pinch of baking powder if you prefer to make it less acidic. Puree with a blender and give it a taste. Adjust the flavor again if you need to.
Add the fresh basil, mascarpone cheese, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Blend to roughly chop the basil and blend in the cheese.
Serve hot, garnishing with a dollop of mascarpone and fresh basil.
What to serve with pureed tomato soup
A grilled cheese sandwich is the classic idea for what to serve with tomato soup. And for good reason! The melty cheesy balances out the tanginess of the soup, and the crispy buttered toasted bread is so delicious dunked into soup.
May I also suggest you try tomato soup with garlic bread?? YUM!
Another way to turn this soup into a filling meal is to make some quick and easy roast beef sliders, Stromboli rollups, or pizza pinwheels to go along with the soup.
If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!
Roasted Tomato with Mascarpone Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 lb ripe tomatoes sliced in half
- 1 small onion sliced into 1-inch pieces
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
- olive oil to spray or brush your baking pan
- 1-2 bouillon cubes to taste (use 1 if yours are very salty, or use 1-2 teaspoons Better than Bouillon base, such as Italian herb, no chicken, or seasoned vegetable)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme or try Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon each sugar and baking soda optional, to reduce the acidity of tomatoes
- ¼ cup mascarpone cheese plus extra for garnish
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves
- red pepper flakes to taste
Special equipment
- Large baking sheet (mine is 11x17 inches)
- Immersion blender or regular blender
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Spray a large baking sheet with olive oil and arrange the halved tomatoes on the baking sheet with the onion slices and garlic cloves between the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Roast for 30 minutes. Allow to cool a little after roasting to make sure you don't burn yourself.
- Transfer the roasted tomatoes, onions, and garlic to a large pot. If not using an immersion blender, transfer to a blender. Do not transfer the juices yet.
- Add the dried thyme and bouillon cubes and CAREFULLY puree with an immersion blender, making sure the bouillon cubes are pureed. If the soup is too thick, add the juices from the pan or a drizzle of water.
- Give the soup a taste, and add salt and pepper, if needed. Add sugar if the soup is too tangy, and a pinch of baking powder if you prefer to make it less acidic. Puree with a blender and give it a taste. Adjust the flavor again if you need to.
- Add the fresh basil, mascarpone cheese, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Blend to roughly chop the basil and blend in the cheese.
- Serve hot, garnishing with a dollop of mascarpone and fresh basil.