Velvety, steaming tomato puree is topped with crispy mini grilled-cheese croutons.

If Andy Warhol had tasted our deeply flavored roasted tomato soup, we’re confident he would have chosen it over the bland canned variety. We can picture the canvas – bowl after bowl of velvety, steaming tomato puree topped with crispy mini grilled-cheese croutons – a comfort-food masterpiece that’ll be remembered long past 15 minutes.

Ingredients

Roasted Tomato Soup

2 (28oz/796ml) cans diced tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
2 medium celery stalks, diced
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 tbsp flour
3 cups chicken broth
1 dried bay leaf
2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil

Grilled Cheese Croutons

4 slices white bread
2 tbsp margarine
2 slices cheddar cheese

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 425°F. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with non-stick cooking spray. Strain tomatoes, reserving their juices in a medium bowl. Spread strained tomatoes on prepared baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil and season with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper. Roast in oven for 15 minutes.

2) While the tomatoes are roasting, in a large soup pot, heat remaining 2 tbsp olive oil over medium-low heat. Add onion, carrots, celery and garlic, cooking until softened, about 8 minutes. Add flour and stir to coat. Over high heat, add the roasted tomatoes, reserved tomato juices, chicken broth, bay leaf, sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce to a gentle simmer, cover and continue to simmer for 30 minutes.

3) Remove from heat, discard bay leaf and puree the soup (using a hand held or countertop blender) until smooth. Stir in 2 tbsp butter and chopped basil.

4) For the croutons, spread margarine on both sides of bread slices. Heat a frying pan over medium heat and place 2 slices in the pan. Top each with 1 slice of cheese and place remaining bread slices on the cheese. Cook for 2 minutes, until underside is golden brown, flip and cook 1-2 minutes more. Remove from pan, cooling a few minutes before slicing. Cut into 1-inch squares and sprinkle a small handful on each bowl of soup.

Serves 10-12

Bite me Bit: “Don’t pay any attention to what they write about you. Just measure it in inches.”-Andy Warhol

 

 

 

Authors of bestselling cookbooks Bite Me and Bite Me Too, saucy sisters Julie Albert and Lisa Gnat love eating, feeding, entertaining and dishing up easy recipes and forkin’ fun at BiteMeMore.com.