Feb 16, 2009

Roasted Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons

Roasted tomato soup with grilled cheese croutons
I have jotted down this recipe from a Family Fun magazine, while waiting at the dentists office. I actually am not a big fan of tomato soups, but my husband is, and it sounded delicious for me too, with tomatoes being roasted, and it is! I love it! The recipe is actually from a cookbook 300 Sensational Soups, by Carla Snyder, and Meredith Deeds.

Roasted tomato soup with grilled cheese croutons

6 cups (3 pints) cherry tomatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chopped onion
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 cup whipping cream

Heat the oven to 400°. On a baking sheet, combine the cherry tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and the salt and pepper. Toss the ingredients to coat evenly and spread them in a single layer. Roast the tomatoes until they are shriveled with brown spots, about 35 to 45 minutes.

In a large pot, heat the butter and the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and sauté until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes with their juice, the broth, the thyme, and the roasted tomatoes, including any liquid on the baking sheet. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 40 minutes.

Using a food processor or blender, puree the soup until it's smooth. Return it to the pot and stir in the cream. Without letting the soup boil, warm it over medium heat, stirring often, until steaming. Add salt and pepper, if necessary.

Grilled cheese croutons:
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon thyme
6 thin slices of bread
3 ounces Cheddar, thinly sliced

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. In a small bowl, combine the butter and thyme. Spread one side of each bread slice with the butter mixture. Place 3 slices in the pan, buttered side down. Top with the cheese, then with the remaining 3 bread slices, buttered side up. Cook, turning once, until toasted on both sides, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Remove the sandwiches from the pan. Let them cool slightly, then cut them into 1-inch squares. Makes about 60 croutons.

I am sending this to Aparna, who is this month's host for Food In Colors, a food blog event created by Harini (better known as the Sunshinemom) of Tongue Ticklers. This month's color is orange.

34 comments:

Elyse said...

What a perfect soup for a cold day (and boy is it cold here)! I love how creative your grilled cheese croutons are! The perfect bite-size accompaniment!

Monika said...

djeluje fantastično! mi jako volimo juhu od rajčica pa čemo sigurno i ovu isprobati :)

JA U KUHINJI... said...

super, pravice se...:)

Snjezana said...

It's tomatoes galore in our garden at the moment and they are calling to be used for this delicious soup.:)

Marija said...

Oh yes, this really is sensational soup! Photos even more, especially the tomatoes, I love that one!

oneordinaryday said...

I saw this same recipe in my magazine and have it bookmarked to try with my family. I'll definitely give it a go now. Thanks for posting.
Michelle
http://oneordinaryday.wordpress.com

Olga said...

Tomatoes are my favorite vegetables!
This looks like a delicious soup, and what a great idea on the croutons!!!!

Anonymous said...

Like you, I'm not usually a fan of tomato soup. I just don't think of it! This looks delicious.

Sara @ Our Best Bites said...

man that looks fantastic- yes, even as I sit here at 8:30 in the morning!

Dana Treat said...

What a brilliant idea! Grilled cheese and tomato soup is my husband's favorite meal - I think he would get a kick out of this.

Emma Nowell said...

I love the grilled cheese croutons. Thanks for your comments on my blog. I'm very flattered! I will take your advice on the tastespotting, I hadn't heard of that before. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

One of my favorite combinations ever - grilled cheese + tomato soup! I love the idea of the grilled cheese crouton - so much more elegant than the way I usually do it (dunk half of my sandwich into the soup, eat, repeat)! thanks for the great idea!

Laura said...

What a great idea to incorporate grilled cheese into the soup!! These are my 2 of my fave comfort foods!

Anonymous said...

mmmm! My favorite combination, grilled cheese and tomato soup! Such a great idea.

Melita said...

Thank you all for such nice comments!

Anonymous said...

Grilled cheese croutons sonds interesting, I bet by roasting, it add an extra flavor too for the soup...yummy :)

RecipeGirl said...

I'm a Dentist office recipe-snatcher too. Sometimes I think I should subscribe to that Family Fun magazine... there always seem to be good little treasures in there!

How cute are those grilled cheese croutons??

Anonymous said...

I love the cheese crouton idea! Your photography is great!

Eileen said...

This soup looks really wonderful. And I love the "grilled cheese croutons". This is the grown-up version of what ate as a child.

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

A delicious looking soup! Nice pairing!

Cheers,

Rosa

Anonymous said...

I love the grilled cheese croutons! Every time I see a tomato soup, I always think grilled cheese. No dunking necessary now that there are croutons :).

Nic said...

That's my kind of soup and those croutons are 'wow'!!

lauralaurentiu said...

Medena, hvala lepo sto si posetila moj blog i pratis moje recepte. Ti imas puno kulinarski talenat i tvoj blog me je jako impresionirao. Lepa ti je corba!

Aparna said...

I'm not a lover of soup either, but this one looks beautiful.
I also liked the way you made those croutons.
Thanks for sending this to FIC Orange.

Navita (Gupta) Hakim said...

He he he Medena I was smiling as I read that you jotted down a recipe at the dentists'...lol...I just jotted down a cocktail recipe from a mag while I was waiting for my doc at his clinic..lol.

great banana pudding followed by this hearty soup...yum!

VelezDelights said...

I'm a huge fan of tomato soup! I'm sure I'd love this =)

My Sweet & Saucy said...

I love those little croutons!

Heidi Leon Monges said...

roasted tomatoes...that's the key to make a delicious soup and even better with those sinful croutons!

Barbara said...

Tomato soup is one of my favorite foods, and I've been looking for a really good tomato soup recipe for a long time - alas, with little luck. This one looks good, I'm going to save it for when the urge strikes.

Sunshinemom said...

I love tomato soup too and your looks so tempting! The grilled cheese croutons are a great idea!

Anonymous said...

about how many servings does this recipe make?

With Style and Grace said...

Ok, I just fell in love with you blog! My goodness, your recipes sound/look amazing, can't wait to give them a try!

Casey said...

I love soup and I love grilled cheese so this is a natural for me. I love the idea of the grilled cheese bits in the soup.

Anonymous said...

The soup turned out really well though a bit too salty. I will totally make this again however, I'm going to leave the salt out completely, use less broth and let people salt as they prefer. Thanks for the soup!

 
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