This Roasted Sweet Corn and Tomato Soup is the ideal meal for when your garden is overflowing with sweet, flavorful summer produce. The blended corn gives it a rich, creamy texture with no dairy whatsoever. Smoked paprika and chipotle chili powder provide a subtle smoky, sweetness that will bring everybody back for more. Craving this beautiful soup other times of the year? Frozen corn and store-bought tomatoes will do in a pinch. It’s easy and delicious and absolute perfection paired with a grilled cheese sandwich.
Ingredient & Equipment Notes
- Fresh corn on the cob – Fresh corn provides a delicious, creamy base for this soup and is by far the best choice. In a pinch, frozen corn would be a close second. Don’t use canned corn for this recipe.
- Tomatoes – You can use any variety of garden tomatoes here. Little ones work the best, but if you happen to have large tomatoes in your garden, just quarter them before roasting and you’ll be good to go. You can buy 10 ounce containers of cherry tomatoes in the grocery store and those work great, too.
- Roasted bell peppers – I wanted the smoky sweetness of fire-roasted bell peppers, but I really didn’t want to take the time to roast one myself, so I used a jar since it’s something I almost always have in my pantry. If you want to roast your own bell pepper, just take a look at this tutorial for roasted red peppers. An 8-ounce jar is equivalent to about 1 medium sized bell pepper.
- Broth – Use chicken broth, unless you need to make this vegetarian, in which case you can experiment with vegetable broth. When given the choice of the two however, I’ll always go with chicken broth since it has a lot more flavor.
- Spices – The two seasonings that will give a ton of flavor to our roasted veggies are chipotle chili powder and smoked paprika. Both go beautifully with corn and tomatoes and are a perfect compliment to this flavor profile. Don’t worry if you’re not a big fan of spicy food- the chipotle chili powder does not make the soup spicy, just adds a lovely boost of flavor.
- Baking sheet – The vegetables will be roasting to perfection in the oven. I highly recommend lining your baking sheet with foil for easy clean up!
- Blender – You can use an immersion blender to puree the soup, but I actually prefer my blender for this one since the corn has so much texture. Remember when you put anything hot in your blender to remove that little stopper at the top. It’s important that the steam has somewhere to go. The other important step is that you cover it with a folded paper towel before you press start!
- Souper Cubes (or other silicon molds) – if you ever make soup and freeze it, consider these a must-have! These make soup easy to freeze and pop out when they are solid. Perfect for freezing leftovers.
How To Make Roasted Sweet Corn and Tomato Soup
- The base of this soup is sweet, fresh corn. We’re going to toss the fresh corn kernels with some tomatoes, and then we’ll add a bunch of chopped garlic, a light sprinkling of kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper, and a little drizzle of olive oil. The oven then does magical things as the veggies roast and caramelize and release natural sugars. Your house will smell amazing.
- While the corn and tomatoes are doing their thing in the oven, we’ll sauté some diced onions on the stove top, and then add some diced roasted red peppers.
- Next we’ll add that gloriously fragrant mixture of roasted corn and tomatoes from the oven, making sure to scrape all the caramelized bits off the baking sheet, and then let it all simmer for a few minutes to allow the flavors to blend together in a sweet, smoky combination.
- Lastly we’ll blend it all up. I originally planned to add a little low-fat cream cheese to this soup to add a rich, creamy feel, but I realized that the corn has enough starch in it to really create a creamy soup without any actual “creamy” products. It’s quite thick, and slightly sweet, smoky, and savory, all at the same time. Simply divine.
- We’ll add our spices right to the pot. And then, since we’re making soup here, we’ll definitely need some broth.
Storage & Other Tips
- Refrigeration: after letting the soup cool slightly, transfer to an airtight container before refrigerating. It keeps well in the fridge for 3 – 4 days.
- Freezing: this soup freezes really well. Portion it into freezer-safe zip-top bags, or “pucks” in silicon molds and pop them out when completely frozen.
- Reheating: thaw (if frozen) and warm gently on the stove or in the microwave, stirring occasionally.
- Serving Suggestions: Nice, crusty artisan or sourdough bread paired with smoked gouda or provolone would be an amazing companion here. If you’re in the mood for something a little different, consider a Smoked Turkey and Artichoke Panini.
Does this soup freeze well?
Most soups are great reheated, and this one is no exception! Freeze in “pucks” in a silicone mold or in individual mason jars for quick reheating.
Can I use frozen or canned corn instead of fresh?
We do not recommend canned corn in this recipe; it has a distinct taste that just isn’t good in this recipe. However, frozen works really well if fresh isn’t available.
Is roasting the tomatoes and corn a “must”?
Yes. Roasting the vegetables brings out the caramelized flavor and deepens the taste, so technically, you could skip it, but you’ll lose the richness.
How smooth does the soup have to be?
It’s meant to be pureed until smooth, but you could leave a little texture if you prefer a slightly chunkier soup.
What kind of garnishes or toppings work best?
A few roasted corn kernels, fresh herbs, or a sprinkle of smoked paprika work nicely. It’s especially good with a grilled cheese sandwich on the side!
Roasted Sweet Corn and Tomato Soup
This rich, creamy soup is full of sweet, smoky flavor thanks to roasted peppers, sweet corn, and smoky spices. Perfect paired with a gooey grilled cheese sandwich.
Servings cups
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups corn kernels, fresh about 4 cobs
- 10 ounces cherry tomatoes about 2 cups
- 4 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil divided
- 1 onion, medium any color, diced
- 8 ounce jar roasted red bell peppers drained
- 32 ounces chicken broth 4 cups
- ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- kosher salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
- optional: chopped herbs for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉.
- Place corn, tomatoes, and garlic on a foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 teaspoons olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Gently toss with hands and then arrange in an even, flat layer. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until tomatoes are crinkled and burst.
- While vegetables are roasting, heat a stock pot to medium high heat on stove top. Add remaining one teaspoon olive oil and diced onion. Sauté about 5 minutes, or until tender. Add roasted bell peppers, chicken broth, smoked paprika and chipotle chili powder. Add a light sprinkling of kosher salt and black pepper (I add about ½ teaspoon salt and a few cracks of pepper at this point and then season to taste at the very end.)
- When corn and tomatoes are done roasting, add them to the pot*, making sure to scrape off all of the bits on the pan. (*If desired, reserve a couple spoonfuls of roasted corn for garnish.) Bring soup to a low simmer and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes.
- Use an immersion blender, or transfer soup to stand blender and puree until smooth. Taste, and add additional salt and pepper (and chipotle chili powder if you want a little more heat) to taste.
- Divide into bowls and garnish with a sprinkle of smoked paprika, a few corn kernels, and some chopped herbs if desired.
Nutrition
Serving: 11/2 cup, Calories: 111kcal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 3mg, Sodium: 1254mg, Potassium: 336mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 616IU, Vitamin C: 32mg, Calcium: 38mg, Iron: 1mg
Calories: 111kcal
Cost: $8
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Questions & Reviews
Tomato and Corn Soup! Where have you been all my life? This recipe is one of the highlights of my summer. Thank you, thank you.
good recipe but i feel like its missing something. i added some quinoa and it gave it a little bit more substance. But i feel like the flavour is more pepper and less corn and tomato
Tried this tonight (with tomatoes from our garden) alongside a cheddar and prosciutto grilled cheese…simply divine!
This was so easy and yummy! My husband suggested adding some shredded chicken. And I’m going to try that next time.
I just made this recipe today and it is absolutely delicious! Followed the recipe except I also added 2 roasted pablano peppers from my garden….they were on the counter begging to join the fun!! :))) Thank you for the recipe!! I know I will be making this one again!!
This sounds wonderful! For those of us on the WeightWatchers program, it would help if you could include the fiber grams per serving!
Made this tonight and it was incredibly delicious! Another great recipe for obb!! Used frozen corn, a super cool broth called “no chicken broth” (since we are vegetarians), and blended it with the immersion blender.. Its a bit grainy, but still great.
Looks delicious! Need to make this!!
I made this last night and it was AMAZING. Since corn and tomatoes aren’t in season, I used a bag of frozen “super sweet white corn” (it was 16 ounces which was right about the 3 cups the recipe calls for) and a 14.5 ounce can of fire roasted tomatoes. I roasted the corn with the garlic as per the recipe, and then just added in the tomatoes with the rest of the soup. I think I put in a bit too much chipotle because it was really spicy so my kids wouldn’t eat it, but I’ll definitely be making it again! It was smooth, creamy, and delicious (I used my Blendtec which blended it perfectly), plus super cheap and healthy. I’ll be making this often! Thanks for another delicious recipe, Sara!
I just cooked this up and added my own little spin on it, changing a few things around. Switched out the chicken broth for a low sodium vegetable broth (I’m a vegetarian). I also left out the onions because my boyfriend doesn’t like them and added in around 5-6 ounces chive and onion cream cheese in their place to make the base a bit more creamy. I used regular paprika because I didn’t have any smoked paprika, and added in a dash of cayenne pepper to spice it up. I’m not too much of an experienced cook (I’m only 25 so I’m still new to this!)- but this soup turned out to be one of the best dishes I’ve ever made. Thank-you!