Roasted Fennel Tomato Soup
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This roasted fennel tomato soup is light, vitamin-packed, and exactly the kind of nourishing meal you want in the days after holiday feasting.
Soups are our go-to dish in fall and winter. This delicious roasted fennel tomato soup is light, tasty, and loaded with vitamins — perfect for the days following the holidays.
That heavy feeling after days of holiday feasting is a familiar one, and by New Year most of us are resolved to shed the extra weight from all those rich meals. My go-to is warm, nourishing soup served with homemade spelt bread or sourdough — an easy way to reset after the indulgence.
Table of Contents
Why Canned Tomatoes?
With little access to fresh garden produce in winter, canned tomatoes are the better choice here — their flavor often beats fresh tomatoes bought from the store during colder months, since those are usually greenhouse-grown or imported from far away and short on flavor. Homegrown canned tomatoes are the first choice when there’s a good harvest; store-bought organic canned tomatoes work well too.
About the Fennel
Fennel is a typical winter vegetable, sturdy enough to handle the season, and stores well in the fridge once harvested in late autumn.
Tools you may need
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How to Make Roasted Fennel Tomato Soup?
Ingredients List
- 2 medium fennels
- 1 medium onion, 2–3 garlic cloves
- 1 tin canned tomatoes (or 1kg fresh)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 100ml full-fat cream
- Fresh basil, black pepper, salt
- A pinch of baking soda
Cooking Instructions
Method 1 – Dutch Oven:
Heat a cast iron Dutch oven over medium heat and add the olive oil. Sauté the chopped onion and garlic until translucent, then add the chopped fennel and cook until slightly browned and glassy. Add the canned tomatoes and a pinch of baking soda, and simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes.
Method 2 – Oven Roasted:
Chop all the vegetables, toss with olive oil, and spread in a glass baking dish. Roast in a preheated oven for about 30 minutes until lightly browned. If using fresh tomatoes, halve them and roast alongside, coated with oil — the skins will peel off easily once roasted.
Blend:
Blend the cooked vegetables with an immersion blender until smooth and creamy.
Season and Finish:
Stir in the seasonings, a dash of olive oil, and the fresh cream, then heat through again briefly before serving.
Serve:
Stir in fresh basil leaves and serve hot, topped with shredded cheese or croutons if you like.
Serving Suggestions
This soup is best enjoyed simple and warm. Try it:
With spelt or sourdough bread: perfect for dipping.
Topped with cheese or croutons: for extra texture.
With extra basil: stirred in fresh right before serving.
Additional Tips for Roasted Fennel Tomato Soup
Why baking soda? tomatoes are acidic, and a pinch of baking soda added before they finish cooking neutralizes that acidity and brings out a sweeter flavor.
Use an immersion blender: since soup is usually still hot at the puréeing stage, an immersion (hand) blender avoids the risk of plastic leaching into hot food, and it saves on washing up since you can blend straight in the pot.
Cooling first: if you’d rather use a standard blender, let the soup cool down before blending.
A Note on the Oil
Olive oil is used for most soups here, though butter works too if you’re not vegan — either way, it’s a small but flavorful addition alongside the vegetables.
Ways to Vary This Soup
Once you’ve made the base recipe, there’s room to adjust:
Extra vegetables: roasted carrots or red bell pepper both blend in nicely.
Spice it up: a pinch of chili flakes adds warmth.
Dairy-free: use a vegan cream alternative in place of the dairy cream.
A Genuinely Light Soup
Between the fennel, tomatoes and light seasoning, this soup is a genuinely light option — easy on the system after heavier holiday meals, while still feeling warm and satisfying rather than like a restrictive diet food.
Recipe Card
Roasted Fennel Tomato Soup
- Total Time: 75
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A light, vitamin-packed roasted fennel and tomato soup — perfect for the days after holiday feasting, and just as good with sourdough for dipping.
Ingredients
- 2 medium fennels
- 1 medium onion
- 2 to 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tin canned tomatoes (or 1kg fresh, blanched and peeled)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 to 2 teaspoons Himalayan pink salt
- 100ml full-fat fresh cream (or vegan cream)
- A bunch of fresh basil leaves
- A pinch of baking soda
Instructions
-
Method 1 – Dutch Oven:
Heat a cast iron Dutch oven over medium heat and add the olive oil. Sauté the chopped onion and garlic until translucent, then add the chopped fennel and cook until slightly browned and glassy. Add the canned tomatoes and a pinch of baking soda, and simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes.
-
Method 2 – Oven Roasted:
Chop all the vegetables, toss with olive oil, and spread in a glass baking dish. Roast in a preheated oven for about 30 minutes until lightly browned. If using fresh tomatoes, halve them and roast alongside, coated with oil — the skins will peel off easily once roasted.
-
Blend:
Blend the cooked vegetables with an immersion blender until smooth and creamy.
-
Season and Finish:
Stir in the seasonings, a dash of olive oil, and the fresh cream, then heat through again briefly before serving.
-
Serve:
Stir in fresh basil leaves and serve hot, topped with shredded cheese or croutons if you like.
Notes
A pinch of baking soda neutralizes the tomatoes’ acidity and brings out a sweeter flavor. Use an immersion blender if the soup is still hot — it’s safer than blending hot liquid in a standard blender and saves on washing up.
- Prep Time: 45
- Cook Time: 30
- Category: Soups
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 125
- Fat: 5
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