The end of growing season calls for this easy and delicious Green Tomato Soup! We treat the tomatoes to a nice sauté with the onions to help reduce their tartness, while developing a deep caramelized flavor that pairs well with the roasted garlic. We finish it off with some homemade croutons, designed to complement, for Fall soup perfection.
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It happens every year. The weather changing means most anything growing outside needs harvested, ripe or not. But if your lifestyle is a heart healthy one, you probably want something other than the always popular Fried Green Tomatoes. Not that we don't love a good fried green tomato! We just want something a little different (and healthier) sometimes. Plus, let's be honest, you have more than enough green tomatoes for BOTH fried green tomatoes and this green tomato soup recipe, right?!
Need more uses for green tomatoes? Get my Top 5 Healthy Ways to Use Green Tomatoes list at the bottom of this post!
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Heart Health Benefits of Green Tomato Soup
This green tomato soup version is low in calories and saturated fat, and naturally cholesterol free. It's high in potassium and vitamins C and K, and a good source of fiber, monounsaturated fats, calcium, iron, and magnesium.
The ingredients we chose can help support lowered blood pressure, improved endothelial function, reduced oxidative stress and inflammation, and improved lipid profiles and platelet function (1, 2, 3, 4, 5).
Macronutrients
Being low in calories and moderate in carbohydrates, but a good source of fiber and monounsaturated fats makes green tomato soup and great accompaniment to meals. While not high in protein, it still contains 6 grams protein per serving, which can be increased more with the addition of roasted chickpeas or pureeing them into the soup.
Micronutrients and Key Bioactive Compounds
Being high in potassium, vitamin C, and vitamin K makes the soup a great recipe for that fall to winter transition when our immune systems may need a little boost. Despite being dairy free, green tomato soup is still a good source of calcium! It's also a good source of iron and magnesium, two important minerals for heart function.
Additionally, there are many bioactive components in our ingredient list! Here are the key ones you can expect in green tomato soup:
- Monounsaturated fats - (in olive oil) type of fat molecule that can help lower LDL cholesterol, and provides nutrition to maintain and build you body's cells (6);
- Hydroxytyrosol and oleuropein - (in olive oil) polyphenols that may be preventative against high blood pressure, stroke, and heart attack (7);
- Allicin - (in garlic) organosulfur compound that, along with other garlic compounds, boasts antioxidant and antiplatelet effects. It may also improve oxidative stress and lower blood lipids (2);
- α-tomatine - (in green tomatoes) a glycoalkaloid known to have fungicidal and antimicrobial properties, in addition to helping reduce LDL cholesterol and cancer risk (3, 8, 9);
- Nitrates - (in spinach) inorganic anion with demonstrated effects like reducing blood pressure, inhibiting platelet aggregation, and improving endothelial dysfunction (4); and
- Thymol - (in thyme) a phenol that shows antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, and antispasmodic activities (5, 10).
Ingredients
We start with fresh green tomatoes from our garden (or the market), and amp it up from there with plenty of mellowed out garlic and onions, and spinach for a lovely green color.
- Green tomatoes
- Onions
- Garlic
- Homemade vegetable stock
- Spinach
- Olive oil
- Dried thyme
- Salt and pepper
- Baking soda
- Whole wheat croutons (not pictured)
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
To make Green Tomato Soup, we start by roasting two heads of garlic. It's easy and really takes the soup over the top. Here's what else you'll need to do:
- Step 1: Cut the tops of the heads of garlic off, just low enough to reveal all (or most of) the cloves.
- Step 2: Over a small square of foil, drizzle with olive oil.
- Step 3: Wrap the foil around the heads, and bake until very soft.
- Step 4: Unwrap the foil, and allow the heads to cool to the touch.
- Step 5: Gently squeeze the head over a bowl to remove the cloves.
- Step 6: Chop the onions.
- Step 7: Heat the oil in a pan, and add the onions, pepper, and salt.
- Step 8: Sauté until browned and soft, about 10-15 minutes.
- Step 9: Chop the tomatoes.
- Step 10: Add the tomatoes to the onions in the last 5 minutes of their sauté.
- Step 11: Pour the vegetable stock into the onions and tomatoes, and add the thyme.
- Step 12: Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, covered, until the tomatoes are soft.
- Step 13: Place the spinach and roasted garlic in the blender.
- Step 14: Pour the tomato and onion mixture into the blender as well.
- Step 15: Blend on high until very smooth; about 2 minutes.
- Step 16: Return the soup to the pot, and add the baking soda.
- Step 17: Stir continuously as the soup bubbles up.
- Step 18: Continue stirring until the bubbling stops, and bubbles dissipate. Serve hot, garnished with croutons and fresh thyme, as desired.
Hint: don't omit the baking soda! It helps neutralize some of the acid in the green tomatoes to mellow out the flavor. Without it the soup is cheek-puckeringly tart!
Substitutions
- Green tomatoes - if you've got a ton of red tomatoes, you can use them instead for a more classic tomato soup! Just leave out the spinach and baking soda.
- Spinach - try using kale instead of spinach. It won't blend up as well if you aren't using a high speed blender. Arugula is another option for a bit of a peppery punch.
- Garlic - you could leave it out all together, or use garlic paste if you don't want to roast it. Add it with the onions to mellow out a bit.
Variations
- Ultra creamy - instead of vegetable stock, use milk or your nondairy milk substitute of choice (be sure to simmer it gently so it doesn't scorch)
- Smoky - add smoked paprika or a few drops of liquid smoke
- High protein - add roasted chickpeas for some crunchy texture, or puree chickpeas or other beans into the soup for a creamy texture
Equipment
For this green tomato soup recipe, make sure you have a 3 quart pot (or larger) with a lid, measuring cups and spoons, a kitchen scale, and a cutting board and knife.
You also need a blender. A high speed blender, like Vitamix, will be best for texture, but use what you have.
Storage
Cool the soup completely and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
This recipe can be frozen for up to 6-9 months.
Healthy heart pro tip
Using baking soda in this recipe is necessary, but it adds a good amount of sodium. Keep the soup on the lower side of sodium content by making sure to use either a no salt homemade vegetable stock, or a no added salt commercial vegetable broth or stock, like Kitchen Basics Unsalted Vegetable Stock (affiliate).
FAQ
Green tomatoes do contain some compounds that can be toxic in high amounts. These compounds are called solanine and tomatine. They are also present in other foods we consider staples, like potatoes and eggplant. They lend a bitter taste to the fruit, and the compounds do decrease in concentration as the fruits ripen. Studies have found that the content of toxic compounds in green tomatoes are too low at at normal culinary usage amounts to cause problems (9 ,11).
It's worth noting, too, that some people do seem to exhibit a sensitivity to tomatoes, more so in their unripe stages. If you find that you experience headaches, nausea, or any other gastrointestinal symptoms after eating green tomatoes (or any food for that matter), it's probably wise to eat it very moderately, or avoid it altogether.d answer them here
Many times, green tomatoes will ripen if given the chance, especially if they've already started to turn. I've had many simply ripen while waiting for me to use them in a recipe!
Another tried and true method is to wrap them, individually in newspaper, and put them in a box. Check them every day or so, and once you can see them start to turn colors, you can unwrap them and leave them on the counter to finish.
Yes! Freezing is a great way to preserve green tomatoes! Simply slice or quarter the washed green tomatoes, and arrange them on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Pop them in the freezer until they are solid. Then transfer them to a zipper freezer bag, and store in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Top 5 Healthy Ways to Use Green Tomatoes
Here it is! I promised you some great healthy uses for green tomatoes - that aren't fried! Click the button below to get it.
Related
Looking for other unique recipes to use up garden veggies? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite recipes to serve with Green Tomato Soup:
Reader Review
"I like this lots!!! I used Beyond sausage and Better than Bouillon garlic vegetable broth. Delicious. A keeper."
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
📖 Recipe
Green Tomato Soup with Roasted Garlic
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 heads Garlic
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil divided
- 2 medium Onions chopped
- Pinch Salt and Freshly ground Black Pepper
- 2 lbs Green Tomatoes chopped large
- 2 cups Homemade Vegetable Stock
- 1 teaspoon Dried Thyme
- 2 cups Spinach
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- Italian Seasoned Whole Wheat Croutons for garnish
Instructions
Roast the Garlic
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Remove outer paper of the heads of garlic, allowing them to still stay together. Cut the tops off the heads, exposing the cloves.
- Place each head on a small square of foil, and drizzle with ½ tablespoon of oil each.
- Wrap the heads in the foil, and place in the oven for about 30 minutes, until all the cloves are very soft (like butter).
- If you are making the croutons, make them now, while the garlic roasts!
- Remove garlic from the oven, and unwrap the heads to allow them to cool.
Make the Soup
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet, and sauté the onions, salt and pepper, until browned and very soft, about 15-20 minutes.
- In the last 5 minutes of sauteing, add the chopped green tomatoes, and continue cooking.
- Pour the vegetable stock into the pot, along with the thyme, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the tomatoes are soft, about 5-10 minutes.
- To the blender, add the spinach and roasted garlic.
- Pour the tomato mixture over the spinach in the blender.
- Puree on high until the soup is very smooth, about 2-3 minutes.
- Return the soup to the pot (off the heat), and stir in the baking soda.
- The soup will start to bubble as the baking soda neutralizes some of the acid. Continue stirring until the bubbling stops, and all the bubbles dissipate.
- Pour into bowls, and garnish with croutons, fresh thyme, and a sprinkle of nutmeg, as desired.
Nutrition
*Nutrition information is an estimate, and will change based on the brand and individual ingredients and amounts you use. This is provided for your convenience only.
Food safety
Safety is our top priority in the kitchen! Always keep these tips in mind.
- Wash hands before touching food, and after touching your hair, face, pets, etc.
- Make sure all needed utensils and equipment are clean before beginning
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
- Take extra care when blending hot liquids to properly vent the blender
- Always open the lid of cooking pots away from your face to avoid scalding burns
Jamie Blake says
I like this lots!!! I used Beyond sausage and Better than Bouillon garlic vegetable broth. Delicious. A keeper.
Laura Yautz says
Thanks Jamie! I'm glad you enjoyed the soup! 🙂
Brian Wear says
I liked it but I am not huge on purée type soup but good flavor. I added some chopped applewood bacon in mine but caution it does tint the soup slightly.
Laura Yautz says
Thanks for your review, Brian. I'm glad you liked the soup! Your addition sounds tasty!
Julia says
Can you can this soup too?
Laura Yautz says
Hi Julia, I don't recommend canning this soup, as it hasn't been tested for safety in that application. It can be frozen however, for up to 6 months (maybe more if it's in a deep freeze the whole time). Hope this helps! 🙂
Carol Cool says
Just a quick question.. is this a soup you can eat both hot or cold? Or is it best heated?
Laura Yautz says
Hi Carol! I've only ever eaten this soup hot, and it's great that way. I suppose you could eat it cold, though, if you wanted. If you do, let me know how you like it! Thanks for your question. 🙂
Jacqueline Strand says
Very interesting recipe - will have to try