In this late winter/early spring season, a warm bowl of delicious soup makes a comforting meal. And what better flavor to conjure up the delightful flavors of the summer-garden-to-come than tomato soup?

Here are two simple recipes to create this classic meal in your own kitchen. The first, Tomato Basil Soup, is super quick and velvety smooth. Thanks to Elizabeth Rosenbalm, a talented chef and caterer at Goodbatchmama.com, for her generosity in sharing this wonderful recipe!

Roasted Tomato Soup is a more rustic version, inspired by Paul Hollywood in his Bread cookbook. Each spoonful is like a sample from your summer garden, with a short list of wholesome ingredients.

Choosing which recipe I like best is impossible, because they are so different from one another. If you’re looking for satisfying comfort food that is sure to please a crowd, and is the perfect side for a grilled-cheese sandwich, then go with Elizabeth’s Tomato Basil Soup. If you want something more fresh, with robust flavors that’s a little more chunky, and is incredibly healthy without sacrificing the taste, then the Roasted Tomato Soup is the one.

Or try them both! Enjoy.

Tomato Basil Soup

In a pot, saute

1/2 small onion

1 minced clove of garlic

in a little olive oil, until tender. Pour in:

2 cans (14.5 oz.) crushed tomatoes (I substituted flavored/roasted diced tomatoes for one version)

8 oz. can of tomato sauce

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

2 teaspoons dried basil, or several leaves of chopped fresh basil

ground black pepper to taste

Once it’s simmering, process with an immersion blender until velvety smooth, especially important if you substituted diced tomatoes. Then add:

8 oz (1 cup) of heavy cream

1/2 stick of butter

Once butter is melted, remove from heat and serve.

Roasted Tomato Soup

In a shallow pan, add:

4 1/2 pounds of tomatoes, quartered (I chose Roma tomatoes)

1 bulb of fennel, quartered and seperated

6 cloves of peeled garlic

2 small carrots, peeled and rough chopped

1 medium white or yellow onion, quartered and separated

Drizzle over the veggies:

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Toss the veggies so they’re coated with the oil and vinegar, then sprinkle over the top 2 teaspoons of kosher salt and several cranks of a pepper mill.

Cover loosely with aluminum foil and roast at 400 degrees for 90 minutes, or until the veggies are cooked and have given up their juices. Near the end, you may need to press on the tomatoes to bring their juices out. Take off the foil and put back in the oven for 10 minutes, to caramelize these juices a bit more. If the juices evaporate in the corners like mine did and get super brown, no worries. Use the extra juices to dissolve these spots and that will amp up the delicious flavor even more.

Once the roasting is finished, carefully place the veggies in a food processor, along with a few leaves of fresh basil. Depending on the size of your processor, you might need to do this in two runs. Process until smooth. (Taste, and if you feel it needs more acid, add some additional balsamic vinegar. If your tomatoes are too acidic for your liking, add a teaspoon of sugar.) I wanted my soup to not be as thick, so I added chicken broth a little at a time, until I got the consistency I wanted. You can also add a little heavy cream at the end if you want to richen it up. But honestly, you don’t need to. Those savory roasted flavors speak for themselves.

You can dress these soups up in so many ways. They’re perfect for your favorite grilled cheese sandwich (use pesto along with the mayo for an extra kick), or sprinkle the soup with seasoned croutons, shredded cheese, or fresh basil drizzled with olive oil. Another fun addition is a small scoop of sour cream in the middle, a tip I picked up from Hungarian friends when we lived outside Budapest years ago.