Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons

For the long weekend, my parents, my spoiled 8 eight year old puppy, and myself, ventured up to our lake house in New Hampshire. Brr, it was cold, even Siri knew it!

I saw this recipe for the roasted tomato soup and grilled cheese croutons on Pinterest, and had it sitting in my back pocket for a few months. Saturday night, we wanted to make a healthy, hearty, warm-your-heart kind of meal. I presented it to my parents, and they were interested.

As we kick off our two week Super Bowl Super Post event, I thought this would be a great dish to serve in mini cups (topped with the grilled cheese croutons) for your party. Take it to the game or eat it inside the comfort of home in front of your overly sized HD TV.

The recipe makes over 10 bowls easily. So if you put them into small cups as appetizers, you’d be able to feed an army. Its also healthy. We calculated 4 points a bowl for the soup and an extra 4 points for a whole grilled cheese sandwich – but you’re making grilled cheese croutons – you won’t be adding in the whole sandwich to your bowl.

[recipe]

Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons

Soup Ingredients:

• 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 red onion
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1 cup whipping cream

Soup Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 400°. In a medium-sized bowl, 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 on a cookie sheet. Roast the tomatoes until they shrivel with brown spots, about 35 minutes.
2. In a large pot, heat the butter and the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium heat.
3. Add the garlic and onion and sauté until softened, about 6 minutes.
4. 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.
5. Using a food processor or blender, puree the soup until it’s smooth. Return it to the pot and stir in the cream.
6. 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
• Slices of bread
• 1 slice of cheese

Grilled Cheese Croutons Directions:

1. Heat a large skillet over low-medium heat.
2. In a small bowl, combine the butter and thyme. Spread one side of each bread slice with the butter mixture.
3. Place a slice, buttered side down, on the pan. Top with the cheese, then with another slice of bread, buttered side up. Cook, turning once, until toasted on both sides, 3 to 5 minutes per side.
4. Remove the sandwich from the pan. Repeat for as many more sandwiches as you’d like. 1 sandwich yields about 15-20 croutons.
5. Let them cool slightly, then cut them into 1-inch squares.
6. Place the grilled cheese croutons into your soup and enjoy!

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We adapted this recipe from 300 Sensational Soups.