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–+ servings
white bowl with tomato soup with spoon and brown bowl of gremolata

Roasted Tomato Soup with Sunflower Fennel Gremolata

Print Recipe
When the weather cools, throw on a sweater and cozy up with this comforting soup that has mininmal chopping, minimal ingredients but maximum flavor!
Course Appetizer, Dinner
Cuisine American
Keyword Soup, Sunflower Seeds, Tomato
Dietary Preference dairy free, Gluten-Free, nut free, vegan, vegetarian
Servings 4 people
Author Desiree Nielsen, RD

Ingredients

Soup

  • 2 pounds cherry tomatoes left whole
  • 1 medium yellow onion (or a ½ large), peeled and cut into large chunks
  • 5 cloves garlic unpeeled
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 1/2 cups creamy white beans such as cannelini or navy
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Gremolata

  • 2 tablespoons fennel fronds minced
  • 1/3 cup lightly packed curly parsley minced
  • 1/3 cup raw shelled sunflower seeds
  • 1 lemon zested and juiced
  • 1/2 clove garlic crushed or finely grated
  • Extra virgin olive oil, salt and chile flakes
Imperial - Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425°F
  • Place tomatoes and onion on a rimmed baking sheet and nestle in the garlic cloves.
  • Drizzle vegetables generously with oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper
  • Roast for 30 -35 minutes until tops of tomatoes start to develop a char and onion starts to turn golden. Remove from heat.
  • In a large pot, squeeze the roasted garlic flesh out of the peel and discard peels. 
  • Then, add the rest of the tomato onion mixture, being sure to scrape all of the delicious juices from the baking sheet.
  • To the vegetables, add the broth, beans, thyme and 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring mixture to a boil.
  • Reduce heat to simmer for ten minutes
  • Meanwhile, make the gremolata: in a small bowl, stir the fennel, parsley, sunflower seeds, lemon zest and garlic.
  • Add a pinch of salt, a dash of chile flakes and a drizzle of lemon juice and olive oil. Mix, taste and adjust with more salt, chile flakes, lemon juice or olive oil as desired.
  • To finish the soup, remove from heat and using a handheld immersion blender, blend until smooth. Taste and adjust salt, and if you wish, thin with a little extra broth.
  • Ladle into bowls and top with gremolata. If not using gremolata, give the soup a little squeeze of lemon juice for acidity.