SOMETHING SIMPLE: Roasted Tomato Soup

A good soup is like a symphony of flavors: a savory bass line, a sweet melody, a harmony of bright lift and rich depth. Underseasoned, it will fall flat, and too much of any one element can throw the whole production out of tune.

Truth be told, I don’t really know much about music, but I’m pretty well-versed in soup. It was one of my starter dishes, a meal I made on repeat when I first began cooking years ago, the way I learned to layer flavors and manage heat and salt to taste.

And it’s the dish I circle back to most often, especially in life’s least savory moments. If I’m feeling stressed or anxious, if the fridge is looking sparse, if I’m under the weather or working on a deadline, I always know I’m just one big pot and a handful of ingredients away from a bowl of something cozy.

This particular soup has a leg up on the cozy scale thanks to pure nostalgia. Tomato soup may be the ultimate childhood comfort food, the perfect warm blanket to wrap up in after a chilly fall day spent learning fractions and building twig forts — and, yes, the ideal accompaniment to a gooey grilled cheese sandwich.

Of course, as a child of the ’90s, I once got my quintessential tomato soup from a can, slightly too sweet and so smooth it was almost like eating paste. No longer in my grade-school arithmetic days, I’ve made a version of this beloved classic that I actually want to eat as an adult, the perfect dish to usher in my favorite time of year: soup season.

It starts with fresh Roma tomatoes — although you can use any kind you like, or a mix if that’s your preference. Romas are a denser, fleshier tomato with low moisture content, and they give this soup a lot of body and texture even once it’s blended. Cherry tomatoes are fussier to peel but add a pleasant sweetness, while heirlooms provide more depth of flavor: fruity or tangy or even smoky, depending on the variety.

Roasting the tomatoes alongside the garlic helps concentrate these flavors, and it gives this soup a robust base. I love using the whole head of roasted garlic, which gets sweet and nutty and surprisingly mellow in the oven. Garlic also offers plentiful health benefits that are great for soup season. It supports immunity and heart health, and it’s packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds — all of which are easier for your body to digest when the garlic is cooked.

If the whole head of garlic seems like too much, simply add half to your soup and save the rest in the fridge. For the rest of the week, you’ll have delicious roasted garlic to spread on toast or whisk into salad dressing or stir into sautéed greens. Lucky you!

Finally, I like to add bone broth and cannellini beans to this soup for the protein boost, but you could use any kind of broth you like, or even water — just be sure to add more salt. Don’t like beans? Try adding a dollop of cottage cheese or even a can of coconut milk for more creaminess.

Do whatever you have to do to create your ideal bowl of cozy comfort, because it’s finally soup season and we’ve all got to make our own kind of music.