Soups on!, Gluten Free, Veggies
Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons
Today is a gift. I normally don’t get days like this where I have the whole day to myself.
In fact, I’m still in my pajamas! I’ve been spending the day tapping into my creative spirit and that spirit works best in pajamas.
It’s a day to celebrate summer and the warm breeze blowing through the windows.
A day to be quiet and think about all good things right in my life…
And a day to make homemade tomato soup.
I’ve been wanting to make homemade tomato soup for a while but somehow was afraid I wouldn’t like the texture or flavor. Growing up on traditional Campbell’s Tomato Soup – it was hard to take the plunge. Boy was I wrong! There is no comparison and we won’t be going back to the canned variety.
This is Ina Garten’s recipe – easy to make and wonderful flavors. Don’t leave out the saffron for it takes the soup to a whole new level!
You can serve it with grilled cheese on the side or cut them up into little croutons to garnish the soup with.
Enjoy – I’m off to take a shower!
- 2 tablespoons good olive oil
- 1 cups onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
- 1½ cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- Large pinch of saffron threads
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup heavy cream (or half and half)
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
- Add the onions and garlic, cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until transparent.
- Stir in the chicken stock, tomatoes, saffron, salt and pepper to taste.
- Using an immersion blender, blend soup until smooth.
- Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Stir in the cream, return the soup to a simmer and cook for 10 more minutes, stirring frequently.
- Serve hot with Grilled Cheese Croutons scattered on top. Garnish with chopped fresh basil.
