Broiling canned San Marzano tomatoes makes them taste fresh and sweet, like summer tomatoes. Adding bite‑size grilled‑cheese cubes gives the soup a fun, comforting twist.
Active time: 15 minutes | Total time: 50 minutes
Tomato Basil Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 1 (28‑oz) can low‑sodium whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes, with juice
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
- 1 tbsp no‑salt tomato paste
- 1 tbsp all‑purpose flour
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 cups low‑sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 3 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
- 2 slices whole‑grain bread
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
Directions
- Line a baking sheet with foil and spray it lightly. Gently pull the tomatoes apart with your fingers, letting the juices fall back into the can. Keep the juice aside.
- Spread the tomatoes on the sheet, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and place the pan about 6 inches below the broiler. Roast for roughly 10 minutes, turning once, until the skins show dark spots.
- While the tomatoes roast, warm olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and thyme; cook until the onion softens, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato paste and flour. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
- Pour in the water, the saved tomato juice, and the broth. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil.
- When the tomatoes are browned, add them to the pot. Scrape any brown bits from the sheet into the soup. Lower the heat and let the soup simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
- Use an immersion blender (or a regular blender) to puree the soup until smooth. Add the chopped basil and keep the soup warm on low heat.
- For the croutons, spread mayonnaise on one side of each bread slice. Layer cheese on the mayo‑side and top with the second slice, mayo‑side down, making two small sandwiches.
- Heat a non‑stick skillet over medium‑low heat. Cook the sandwiches until the cheese melts and the bread turns golden, about 4 minutes per side. Cut the sandwiches into 1‑inch squares.
- Serve each bowl of soup with a handful of the cheesy croutons on top.
Serves: 4 (about 1 ¼ cups soup and a quarter sandwich per person)
Nutrition per serving: 244 calories; 12 g total fat; 4 g saturated fat; 5 g monounsaturated fat; 3 g polyunsaturated fat; 15 mg cholesterol; 349 mg sodium; 26 g carbs; 6 g fiber; 10 g sugar; 8 g protein.