Roasted Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons
Roasted tomato soup is the perfect way to elevate a classic. For one of my Christmas parties I had individual martini glasses with the soup and croutons topping it. This was a big hit. Not only was it an adorable display but it was tasty as well! The tomato soup recipe and the the croutons were inspired by my favorite gal, Ina Garten. She just always finds a way to make a traditional recipe that much better. Roasting the tomatoes brings out all of their juicy goodness and gives the soup another layer of flavor.
Also, adding in easy to make grilled cheese croutons completes the dish. In honor of grilled cheese month do yourself a favor and up your tomato soup game!
Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese
ingredients
3 lbs plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
1/4 c olive oil
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 c yellow onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, crushed
1 28oz can whole plum tomatoes, with juice
4 c fresh basil, packed
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
4 c chicken stock low sodium
grilled cheese options
4 slices peasant bread or sourdough thick cut (like a a quarter of an inch)
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
4 oz guyere cheese grated (or your favorite cheese)
instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Put the halved tomatoes in a large bowl. Pour over the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Give them a good toss and pour them out onto a baking sheet (use one with sides). Roast for 45 minutes.
In a large stock pot over medium heat, add the butter and olive oil, saute the garlic for a minute then add add the onion, red pepper flakes, give it a stir and saute 10 minutes more, until the onions start to brown.
Once the tomatoes are done roasting add them to the pot along with the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, and chicken stock. Bring the soup to a boil and let it simmer for 40 minutes uncovered.
Once that is done, let the soup cool down. Transfer it to a blender or food processor and blend. You will most likely need to do it in batches if you using a blender, don't fill it all the way up it will explode on you!
grilled cheese croutons
Heat a grill pan or a non-stick frying pan.
Place the four slices of bread on a cutting board and brush lightly with the melted butter, even the crust part.
Turn the slices over and pile gruyere on two of the slices. Place the remaining two slices of bread on top of the gruyere, buttered sides up.
Grill the sandwiches for about 3 minutes on each side, until you see each side brown.
Then place them on a cutting board and let them rest for two minutes.Then cut them into 1-inch cubes.