Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons

It’s October. Yes! Totally my favorite month of the year. Except for November and December. Love the holidays! So maybe outside of November and December, October is my favorite month.

There aren’t many days in the fall that I don’t want soup. Tomato soup is usually my top pick. 


I’ll be honest; I am completely fine with opening a can of Campbell’s tomato soup, adding sour cream, dried basil and oregano and calling it dinner most nights. Seriously. I stock up on cans of tomato soup in the fall and winter. It's not weird.

Until now! I’ve found my replacement. Here’s a recipe for homemade tomato soup. No can opener required!  I even topped my soup with mini grilled cheese croutons.

Start with several fresh tomatoes, garlic cloves and half an onion.

Quarter each tomato and slice up half of an onion and the garlic cloves. Place on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Toss this in the oven for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool. (This is where I started making my grilled cheese croutons.)

Gently chop the fresh basil.

Place the tomatoes, garlic and onions in a blender or food processor. Toss in the fresh basil, salt and pepper and cream. 

Blend until everything is nice and smooth. Give it a few tastes until you’ve got it just how you like it.

Pour in a pan and set aside over low heat to keep warm while you’re making the grilled cheese croutons. 

GRILLED CHEESE CROUTONS

Get your lineup ready. You’ll need a crusty French baguette sliced about 1/2 inch wide, sliced cheese, and about two tablespoons melted butter.

Start by basting one side of the bread with the melted butter. Place the pieces of bread buttered side down in a skillet on medium heat. Add two squares of cheese.

Baste another piece of bread and place buttered side up on top of the other slices in the skillet.

Flip when golden brown.

Stack up on a plate and slice into thirds.

Pour this delicious soup in a bowl and top with the cheesy croutons and a little fresh basil.

This restaurant-style tomato soup is so, so good. The grilled cheese croutons add a different take on a classic meal.

Enjoy!

Christi

Creamy Tomato Soup

8 medium to large tomatoes (I used Roma.)
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1/2 of an onion, sliced
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, sliced thinly
1/2 cup heavy cream

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with non-stick spray. Place the tomatoes on the sheet, then drizzle lightly with olive oil. Roast for 30-35 minutes, until the garlic is golden and the tomatoes are slightly charred on the top parts of the skin.

2. Allow to cool. Place the tomatoes, onion, and garlic in a food processor or a blender. Sprinkle in the basil and half of the sage. Add in the cream. Taste for seasoning. Once soup is pureed, pour into a pot over medium heat to keep warm.

3. Pour soup into your bowl(s) and sprinkle with any remaining basil and top with the grilled cheese croutons.

Grilled Cheese Croutons

6 slices crusty French bread
2 tablespoons butter
7-8 slices cheese (You can use your cheese of preference.)

Butter one side of each slice of bread and place on a skillet over medium heat. Toast slices of bread on one side until golden brown, then flip. Add slices of cheese to one of the toasted sides, then place the other slice, toasted side down facing the cheese, to top.

Toast until the other side of the bread is golden, then flip and toast the other side of the sandwich. Continue until all bread is used. Serve whole or cut up into small squares and use as croutons. Garnish with fresh basil.