There was a time when zucchini was my gardening nemesis.
If you’ve ever grown zucchini, you know how this goes. One minute you’re proudly admiring the first little one on the plant, and approximately twelve minutes later you’re standing in your kitchen wondering what on earth you’re going to do with seventeen of them the size of your leg.
Apparently, I’ve traded zucchini. This year it’s cucumbers and tomatoes.
So. Many. Tomatoes.
And here’s something I never really expected to say:
Apparently, I’m a gardener
Not just someone who puts a few plants in the ground and hopes for the best. An actual, things-are-growing-faster-than-we-can-eat-them gardener.
This is particularly funny in our family because my daughter is a gardening whiz – seriously, check her out on Instagram @seaandthesoil. She’s the gardener. She’s the one who actually knows what she’s doing. In fact, the other day, her husband said to her:
“Isn’t it funny that you’re the gardener, but your mom’s garden has been the one killing it this summer?”
I’m just faking my way through it, but I’m going to be honest – I may have enjoyed that comment a little more than I should have. To be fair, she’s definitely the flower gardener in the family—but even my flowers have held their own pretty well this summer. I’m not ready to challenge her for the title just yet, but apparently I’m learning a thing or two.
Most Improved Gardener? I’ll take it.
But as I’ve stood at my kitchen counter lately surrounded by cucumbers and bowls of tomatoes, I’ve been thinking about abundance—and about how often life gives us more than we planned for.
Sometimes that’s a wonderful thing.
More family around the table. More laughter than expected. A garden that suddenly decides to show off.
And sometimes the “more” isn’t something we’d ever have chosen.
More responsibility
More uncertainty
More change
More difficult days
More things requiring our energy when we weren’t exactly overflowing with it to begin with.
I’ve had my share of both. And maybe one of the things I’m learning is that I don’t always get to choose what’s handed to me. But I do get some say in what I make of it.
Sometimes that’s something profound.
And sometimes… it’s tomato soup.
Here’s the other funny part – I don’t even like tomato soup………at least, I didn’t think I did.
Maybe that’s another lesson in all of this.
Sometimes when life gives us more than we planned for, our first reaction is to wonder what we’re supposed to do with it.
We don’t necessarily need the whole answer right away. We can start with what’s sitting in front of us. Use what we have. Try something different. Change the recipe when we need to.
And every once in a while, what felt like too much turns into something we never knew we’d love. Like tomato soup, my own hand made and hand grown tomato soup.
Now, not only am I a gardener, I’m apparently a tomato soup person too. Who knew? 🤎
So, while she may be the gardening whiz in the family, this summer I’ll happily accept the title of Most Improved Gardener!
My garden has been producing cherry tomatoes faster than we can possibly eat them, and the larger tomatoes aren’t exactly showing any restraint either. Faced with another three pounds sitting on my kitchen counter—and plenty more where those came from – I decided to roast the whole lot at once and figure out the rest afterward.
So into the oven they went with onion, plenty of fresh garlic, olive oil and a few simple seasonings. Once everything was roasted, sweet and beautifully caramelized, I divided the batch. Half became a roasted garden tomato pasta sauce, and with the other half I decided to experiment with a rich Roasted Garden Tomato & Basil Soup. Same garden harvest, same simple roasted base, and two completely different ways to enjoy it.
Not bad for a woman who apparently became a gardener when she wasn’t looking. 😉
For the soup, I added some of my homemade chicken bone broth, fresh basil, Parmesan and a splash of milk.
Then I tasted it. And tasted it again. The result was a soup that is rich and creamy without being heavy, and roasting the tomatoes first transformed them into something completely different from the tomato soup I thought I didn’t like. Full of that wonderful late summer garden flavour.
Turns out that sometimes the best recipes aren’t planned at all. They’re simply what happens when the garden gives you far more tomatoes than you know what to do with.
It turns out I do like tomato soup. I just needed my garden to make the introduction.
Roasted Garden Tomato & Basil Soup
Ingredients
For the Tomatoes
- 1½ Lbs Fresh tomatoes Cherry, grape, Roma, larger garden tomatoes, or a combination
- ½ Medium Onion Roughly chopped
- 4 Cloves Fresh garlic Peeled and Whole
- 1½ Tbsp Olive oil
- ¾ Tsp Kosher salt
- ¼ Tsp Freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ Tsp Dried oregano
- Pinch Red pepper flakes Optional
For the Soup
- 1-1½ Cups Homemade chicken bone broth See notes blow
- ½ Cup Whole or 2% milk
- ⅓ Cup Parmesan cheese Freshly grated
- ¼-½ Cup Loosely packed fresh basil Chopped
- 1 Tbsp Butter Optional
- ½ Tsp Honey Optional if your tomatoes are particularly acidic
- Salt and pepper To taste
- Extra Parmesan and fresh basil for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400°F (205°C)
- If using cherry or grape tomatoes, leave them whole. Core larger tomatoes and cut them into chunks roughly similar in size to the cherry tomatoes.
- Add the tomatoes, onion and garlic to a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, oregano and red pepper flakes, if using. Toss everything together until well coated.
- Spread the tomatoes, onion and garlic over a large rimmed baking sheet. I like to use parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- Roast for 40–50 minutes, stirring once after about 30 minutes. The tomatoes should be collapsed and juicy, with some caramelized edges, and the onion should be tender and beginning to brown.
- Transfer the roasted tomatoes, onion, garlic and all those lovely pan juices to a saucepan. Add 1 cup of the chicken bone broth and bring to a gentle simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth and creamy. Add additional broth, a little at a time, until the soup reaches the consistency you like.
- Reduce the heat to very low—or remove the pan from the heat—and slowly stir in the milk. Don't allow the soup to boil once you've added the milk.
- Stir in the Parmesan, fresh basil and butter, if using. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as needed.
- If your tomatoes are especially acidic, stir in up to ½ teaspoon honey. Taste first—you may find that roasting has made the tomatoes sweet enough without it.
- Serve warm with extra Parmesan and fresh basil.
Notes
Cowgirl Tips
Use whatever the garden gives you.This doesn’t need to be strictly cherry-tomato soup. Today’s version was made with mostly cherry tomatoes and a few larger garden tomatoes. Different varieties will change the sweetness and amount of liquid slightly, but that’s part of the charm. Homemade bone broth:
Homemade chicken bone broth adds a richness that ordinary broth doesn’t quite match. Store-bought chicken broth will still work, but if you have some homemade, I prefer that option! You can find my easy recipe here https://cookingincowboyboots.blog/2026/06/02/cooking-when-your-body-doesnt-cooperate-simple-swaps-gentle-shortcuts-and-grace-on-flare-days/ Milk instead of cream: You don’t need heavy cream to get a rich soup. Whole or 2% milk keeps it creamy without making it overly heavy. Add it over very low heat and don’t boil the soup afterward to help prevent curdling. Want it extra creamy?
That tablespoon of butter and Parmesan will round everything out beautifully without needing more dairy. No immersion blender?
A regular blender works, but let the soup cool slightly and blend carefully in batches. Hot liquids expand in a blender. Freezing:
For the portion you’re planning to freeze, I’d freeze the soup before adding the milk and Parmesan. Cool completely, freeze in an airtight container, then thaw, reheat gently and finish with the milk, Parmesan and fresh basil. And yes, a grilled cheese alongside is highly encouraged. 😉
Roasted Garden Tomato & Basil Sauce
Ingredients
- 1½ Lbs Fresh tomatoes Cherry, grape, Roma, larger garden tomatoes, or a combination
- ½ Medium Onion Roughly chopped
- 6 Cloves Fresh garlic Peeled (more if you are super passionate about garlic like me)
- 1½ Tbsp Olive oil
- Splash Balsamic Vinegar
- ¾ Tsp Kosher salt
- ¼ Tsp Freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ Tsp Dried oregano
- Pinch Red pepper flakes Optional
- ¼-½ Cup Fresh basil leaves Loosely packed
- ¼ Cup Parmesan cheese Freshly grated
- 1 Tbsp Butter
- Salt and pepper To taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C)
- Leave cherry and grape tomatoes whole. Core larger tomatoes and cut them into chunks roughly similar in size to the cherry tomatoes.
- Place the tomatoes, onion and garlic in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, splash of balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with salt, pepper, oregano and red pepper flakes, if using. Toss everything together until evenly coated.
- Place it all on a parchment lined rimmed baking sheet.
- Roast for 40–50 minutes, stirring once after about 30 minutes. The tomatoes should be soft and collapsed, the onion tender, and everything should have some lovely caramelized edges.
- Transfer the roasted vegetables and all of the juices from the pan to a saucepan.
- Using an immersion blender, blend to your preferred consistency. I like this sauce with a little texture left in it rather than completely smooth.
- Simmer uncovered over medium-low heat for 10–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has reduced and thickened to your liking. Garden tomatoes vary quite a bit in how much liquid they contain, so let the sauce rather than the clock tell you when it's ready.
- Reduce the heat to low. Stir in the fresh basil, Parmesan and butter. Cook just until the cheese and butter have melted into the sauce.
- Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed.
- Toss with your favourite pasta and finish with a little extra Parmesan and fresh basil.
Notes
This recipe was born from an abundance of cherry tomatoes with a few larger garden tomatoes thrown in. There’s no need to be fussy about varieties. If they’re ripe, they can go in. Don’t peel the tomatoes.
Especially those cherry tomatoes! Roasting softens the skins, and blending takes care of the rest. Besides, nobody needs to spend an afternoon peeling 75 cherry tomatoes. 😂 For a smoother sauce:
Blend it completely smooth. If you’re particularly sensitive to tomato seeds or skins, you can pass the blended sauce through a fine-mesh sieve, but I wouldn’t bother for an everyday garden sauce. If your tomatoes are very juicy:
Just give the sauce a little more time to simmer uncovered. Larger garden tomatoes often contain more liquid than cherry or Roma tomatoes. If the sauce tastes a little acidic:
Try adding ¼–½ teaspoon honey. Taste it first, though—the roasting may have brought out enough natural sweetness that you don’t need anything. For freezing:
I’d freeze the sauce before adding the Parmesan and butter. Cool completely and freeze in airtight containers, leaving a little room for expansion. When you’re ready to use it, thaw, gently reheat and then finish with fresh basil, Parmesan and butter.
A variation I think would be delicious
You could add 1–2 tablespoons of your homemade chicken bone broth if the sauce gets thicker than you’d like—or use a splash of pasta water when you’re tossing it with pasta.
