Roasted Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons

I’ve never been fond of tomato soup.  I remember my mom trying to get us to eat the canned tomato soup and just not being able to stomach it.  However when I saw this recipe with the little grilled cheese croutons, I was intrigued.  I LOVE grilled cheese so soup with grilled cheese on top must be good!  Of course the freshly roasted tomatoes gives this soup a great helping of flavor also.  The pairing of the grilled cheese croutons and the roasted tomatoes makes for a perfect combination.

Roasted Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons

Author/Source:

Melissa @ Onceamonthmom.com adatped from FamilyFun.go.com

Grilled Cheese Croutons

Ingredients:

• 3 cups cherry tomatoes
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoons black pepper
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
• 14 ounces canned diced tomatoes
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 cup whipping cream

Croutons:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/8 teaspoon thyme
• 2 slices bread
• 1 1/2 ounces cheddar cheese, thinly sliced

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine cherry tomatoes with two thirds of the olive oil, salt, and pepper and spread evenly on a large baking sheet. 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 olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and saute until softened. Add the canned tomatoes with their juice, the chicken broth, thyme, and roasted tomatoes, including any liquid on the baking sheet. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered for 40 minutes.

Using a food processor, blender, or immersion blender, puree the soup until it’s smooth. Return soup to the pot and stir in the cream. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Croutons: Combine butter and thyme in a small bowl. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Spread one side of each bread slice with butter mixture. Place half of the slices of bread in pan with buttered side down. Top with cheese and remaining slices of bread, buttered side up. Cook, turning once, until toasted on both sides. Remove from pan and allow to cool slightly before slicing into 1-inch squares.

Ready tor the freezer.

Freezing Directions:

Cool soup to room temperature. Package one cup portions into pint freezer bags. After croutons have cooled completely, portion into pint freezer bags. Package together in gallon freezer bags. To Serve: Thaw soup and croutons in refrigerator overnight. Transfer soup to a bowl and microwave until heated through. Warm croutons and use to garnish soup.

Servings: 4

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• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed With Grace
• Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
• Tuesdays at the Table with All the Small Stuff
• Delicious Dishes at It’s a Blog Party
• Tip My Tuesday at Tip Junkie
• Tasty Tuesday at Naptime Creations

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 10th, 2012 at 10:00 am and is filed under Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.