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Smoked tomato soup made with fire-roasted tomatoes, garlic, and onion on the pellet grill. Creamy, smoky, and perfect with grilled cheese for fall!
Fall is finally here, and that means one thing: it’s cold enough for soup. Our kickoff is this smoked tomato soup, built from a mix of fresh tomatoes, garlic, and sweet onion fire-roasted on the pellet grill until they’re blistered, caramelized, and kissed with a little smoke. Everything gets blended with chicken stock, a touch of honey, heavy cream, and fresh basil from the garden into a rich, velvety bowl that tastes like the grown-up version of the canned stuff we all grew up on.
Funny story: my daughter says she doesn’t like tomatoes. But she loves salsa, pizza sauce, and spaghetti, as long as the tomatoes aren’t chunky. So this one was made for her, and it passed the test. Pair it with a golden, cheesy grilled cheese and you’ve got the perfect fall lunch.
If you’re in the mood for more cold-weather comfort food, check out our Smoked Cheesy Loaded Potato Soup, Smoked White Chicken Chili, and Smoked Chuck Roast Chili.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- A smoky flavor the oven can’t give you. Roasting on the pellet grill adds a subtle hint of smoke that sets this apart from oven-roasted or canned tomato soup. It’s not overpowering, just enough depth to make you go back for another spoonful.
- Use whatever tomatoes you have. We like a mix of cherry, Campari, and Roma, but any ripe tomatoes will work. It’s a great way to use up the end-of-season garden haul.
- Balanced, not too sweet. A spoonful of honey (or hot honey for a little kick) takes the edge off the tomatoes’ tartness without turning it into dessert.
- Sneaks in extra veggies. Onion, garlic, and red bell pepper all get blended right in. The kids will never know.
- Made for grilled cheese. This is the soup you want for dunking. Fall comfort food at its finest.
Ingredients and Notes
- tomatoes – We used a mix of cherry, Campari, and Roma tomatoes. Halve the larger tomatoes. For the cherry tomatoes, try halving about half and leaving the rest whole. The whole ones pop and burst on the grill for a slightly different texture. Any variety you like will work.
- head of garlic – Cut crosswise to expose the cloves. No need to peel; the papery skins slip right off after roasting.
- onion – A sweet onion works great here. Peel and cut into quarters.
- red bell pepper – Optional, but it adds sweetness and one more hidden vegetable.
- olive oil, salt, and pepper – The basics.
- chicken stock – Swap in vegetable stock to make it vegetarian.
- honey or hot honey – Adjust to taste depending on how sweet your tomatoes are. Sugar works too.
- tomato paste – Adds richness and a deeper tomato color.
- heavy cream – Use a little less for a lighter soup.
- fresh basil – A handful of leaves, torn or thinly sliced, plus extra for garnish.
How to Make Smoked Tomato Soup
*Before you begin – Clean out your grill. Before cranking your pellet grill up to a high temp, clean out the grease trough and any built-up fat from previous cooks. Grease that sits harmlessly at 250°F can start to burn and smoke at 400°F and above, and you don’t want that flavor in your soup (or a grease fire in your grill!).
Preheat the pellet grill to 400°F. Let it come fully up to temperature before adding the vegetables.
Prep the vegetables. Cut the larger tomatoes in half and halve about half of the cherry tomatoes. Quarter the onion and cut the half head of garlic crosswise to expose the cloves.
Season and arrange on a sheet tray. Spread the tomatoes, onion, and garlic on a large sheet tray. Place the tomatoes skin side down so the cut flesh is facing up and soaks in more seasoning and smoke. Drizzle with about a bit of olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and coarse black pepper.
Smoke-roast the vegetables. Place the sheet tray on the grill, close the lid, and roast at 400°F for 40–50 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft, blistered, and caramelized around the edges and the onions are tender. The cherry tomatoes will burst and the garlic will turn soft and golden.
Sauté the bell pepper. While the vegetables finish, heat a bit of butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced red bell pepper and sauté until soft, about 5–7 minutes.
Add the roasted vegetables. Transfer the tomatoes, onion, and any juices from the sheet tray into the Dutch oven. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins and add them to the pot, discarding the papery skins.
Add the stock and honey. Pour in the chicken stock and honey and stir to combine. Bring the soup to a gentle simmer.
Blend until smooth. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup right in the pot until completely smooth. You can also carefully transfer it to a large blender in batches.
*TIP – If using a countertop blender, fill it no more than halfway, remove the center cap from the lid, and cover the opening with a folded kitchen towel to let steam escape.
Stir in the cream, tomato paste, and basil. Return the soup to the pot over low heat. Stir in the heavy cream and tomato paste until the paste is fully dissolved and the soup is a smooth, creamy orange-red. Add the torn fresh basil.
Taste and adjust. Now’s the time to taste. Add more salt, a little more honey if it’s still tart, or a pinch of crushed red pepper if you like some heat. Everything tastes different once it’s blended together, so wait until this point to make final seasoning adjustments.
Serve. Ladle into bowls and top with fresh basil and a swirl of heavy cream. Serve hot with a grilled cheese for dunking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Roast the vegetables on a sheet tray at 400°F for 40–50 minutes. You’ll miss the hint of smoke, but it’s still a great homemade tomato soup.
No – At 400°F, a pellet grill produces less smoke than it does at low-and-slow temperatures, so you get a subtle smoky background note rather than a campfire flavor.
Roma tomatoes are meaty with fewer seeds, cherry tomatoes bring sweetness, and Campari tomatoes add a great balance of both. A mix gives you the best flavor, but use whatever ripe tomatoes you have.
Tomatoes are naturally acidic, and a little sweetness balances out the tartness. Start with a tablespoon and add more only if needed. Hot honey adds a nice little kick.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat, stirring often.
Smoky Roasted Tomato Soup
Ingredients
- 3 lbs tomatoes, a mix of cherry, Campari, and Roma, larger tomatoes halved or quartered
- ½ head garlic, cut crosswise
- 1 medium sweet onion, peeled and quartered
- 2-2½ tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ red bell pepper, diced
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon honey or hot honey
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, torn or chiffonade, plus more for garnish
Instructions
- Clean out the grease trough and any built-up fat on your pellet grill, then preheat it to 400°F.
- Arrange the tomatoes, onion, and garlic on a large sheet tray, placing the cut tomatoes skin side down. Drizzle with 2-2½ tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with salt and the black pepper.
- Place the sheet tray on the grill, close the lid, and roast for 40–50 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft, blistered, and caramelized around the edges and the onion is tender.
- While the vegetables roast, heat the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced bell pepper and sauté for about 5 minutes, until softened.
- Transfer the roasted tomatoes, onion, and any pan juices to the Dutch oven. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves from their skins into the pot and discard the skins.
- Stir in the chicken stock and honey. Bring to a gentle simmer.
- Blend the soup with an immersion blender until completely smooth. Or carefully blend in batches in a countertop blender, filling it no more than halfway and venting the lid with a folded towel over the opening.
- Return the soup to the pot over low heat. Stir in the heavy cream and tomato paste until fully combined, then stir in the torn basil. Do not let the soup boil once the cream is added.
- Taste and adjust seasoning – add salt and pepper to taste, more honey if the soup is too tart, or a pinch of crushed red pepper for heat.
- Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh basil and a swirl of heavy cream. Serve hot.
Notes
- Tomatoes: Any ripe tomatoes work. Try halving only half of the cherry tomatoes; the whole ones burst on the grill and add texture before blending.
- Oven method: Roast the vegetables at 375-400°F for 40–50 minutes in the oven. You’ll lose the smoky flavor, but the soup will still be delicious.
- Pellets: We used 100% pecan shell pellets from Smokin’ Pecan, but any hardwood pellet works.
- Vegetarian option: Swap the chicken stock for vegetable stock.
- Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days. To freeze, freeze the soup before adding the cream for up to 3 months. Thaw, reheat, then stir in the cream and basil.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
