Roasted Tomato Basil Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons
A recipe for rich, flavorful roasted tomato soup topped with crunchy, savory grilled cheese croutons.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 45 min
- Total Time: 60 min
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Roasting and Simmering
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 lbs ripe tomatoes, halved
- 1 large yellow onion, quartered
- 4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
- 4 slices sourdough bread
- 4 slices cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
- Place the halved tomatoes, onion quarters, and unpeeled garlic cloves on a baking sheet.
- Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss gently to coat.
- Roast for 30 to 35 minutes, until the tomatoes are slightly softened and beginning to caramelize.
- Remove from the oven. Squeeze the roasted garlic from its skin into a large pot. Add the roasted tomatoes and onions to the pot.
- Add the broth to the pot. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat.
- Remove the pot from the heat. Use an immersion blender or carefully transfer the soup in batches to a regular blender. Blend until completely smooth.
- Return the soup to the pot. Stir in the heavy cream, if using, and the fresh basil leaves. Heat gently, but do not boil. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
- While the soup heats, prepare the croutons: Spread softened butter on one side of each slice of bread.
- Place two slices of bread, butter-side down, in a skillet over medium heat. Top each with a slice of cheddar cheese and then the remaining bread slices, butter-side up.
- Grill for 3 to 4 minutes per side until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is melted.
- Remove the grilled cheese sandwiches from the skillet. Cut each sandwich into 1-inch cubes to create croutons.
- Ladle the hot soup into bowls and top generously with the grilled cheese croutons before serving.
Notes
- For a deeper flavor, roast the vegetables for 10 minutes longer until they show more browning.
- If you do not have an immersion blender, let the soup cool slightly before blending in batches.
- Use high-quality, flavorful tomatoes for the best results.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cups soup with croutons
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 12
- Sodium: 450
- Fat: 20
- Saturated Fat: 10
- Unsaturated Fat: 10
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 35
- Fiber: 6
- Protein: 14
- Cholesterol: 45