Roasted Tomato & Fennel Soup
Soup season seems to be lingering longer than usual here in Melbourne - and honestly, I’m not complaining. There’s something grounding about a slow, roasted soup when the weather’s in that in-between stage. This one’s as nourishing as it is comforting: roasted tomato and fennel blended with bone broth, herbs, and a little olive oil to round out the flavour and boost the nutrient absorption. ( This is also a great one to have meals prepped and frozen for those lazy dinners)
Tomatoes are naturally rich in lycopene, the vibrant red carotenoid responsible for many of their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. Roasting them actually increases lycopene bioavailability by transforming it into its cis-isomer form, which your body absorbs more efficiently, especially when paired with healthy fats like olive oil. Each bowl of this soup delivers roughly 10–20 mg of lycopene, which lands perfectly within the therapeutic range shown in research to support heart, skin, and metabolic health. Lycopene helps reduce oxidative stress, supports cardiovascular function, and protects the skin against UV damage, among other benefits.
Beyond the lycopene hit, this soup carries a lot of functional nourishment:
Bone broth provides collagen, amino acids, and trace minerals to support tissue repair and gut integrity.
Fennel and onion add prebiotic fibre and polyphenols to feed your microbiome and calm inflammation.
For Further Reading
If you’re as nerdy about nutrients as I am, here’s some extra reading on lycopene and its benefits:
Khan, U. M., et al. (2021). Lycopene: Food Sources, Biological Activities, and Human Health Benefits. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/2713511 Oxidative Medicine and Cellular…
Tufail, M., et al. (2024). Nutritional Benefits of Lycopene and Beta‐Carotene: A Comprehensive Overview. Food Science & Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsn3.4118 Food Science Nutrition - 2024…
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2022). Tomato and Lycopene Supplementation and Cardiovascular Risk Factors: A Meta-analysis. lycopene
Araniti, F., et al. (2022). Valorization of Tomato By-products: Lycopene Extraction and Functional Potential. Molecules, 27(14):4495.
