This week, the shining gold star on our weekly menu was homemade creamy tomato soup and “fancy” grilled cheese. This is probably one of my favorite dinner combinations. Grilled cheese and tomato soup go together like chocolate and peanut butter. And chocolate and mint. And chocolate and … okay, I’ll stop.
The soup recipe is adapted from my go-to cookbook, Jack Bishop’s A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen: Easy Seasonal Dishes for Family and Friends. It is rich and tangy, with just a little kick. And, even better, it is also something you can totally make on a weeknight when you get home from work.
Creamy Tomato Soup (Serves 4 as a light main course)
(Adapted from “A Year in the Vegetarian Kitchen: Easy Seasonal Suppers for Family and Friends” by Jack Bishop)
2 28-oz cans whole tomatoes
1 tablespoon light or dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium leeks, white and light green parts, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise into thin strips
Salt
1 tablespoon double-strength tomato paste
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (we used the pre-grated, jarred kind)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups vegetable broth (we used water and veggie bouillon cubes because we were out of broth)
Cayenne pepper
Instructions
This first part is the most time consuming. The next time I make this recipe, I might see if I can do this prep the night before, just to save a little time.
First thing you’re going to do is put a strainer on top of a bowl and place the tomatoes in the strainer, so the juices drain into the bowl. While they’re still in the bowl, individually open each tomato so that the seeds and juices fall into the strainer. If you’re prepping ahead of time, put the seeded tomatoes in one airtight plastic container and the juices (you should have about 2.5 cups) in the other (go ahead and get rid of the seeds).
Next, preheat your oven to 475 degrees, line a large baking sheet with foil (we used a cookie sheet) and place the tomatoes, sprinkling with brown sugar. Roast the tomatoes for about 20 minutes or until the liquid has evaporated and the tomatoes are beginning to get browned.
While the tomatoes are roasting, go ahead and melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until it starts foaming. Once the foaming is done, add the leeks and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the leeks have softened a bit.
Add the tomato paste and nutmeg and cook, stirring often, for about a minute. Then add the broth and flour – whisking constantly – until everything is smooth (e.g. no lumps of flour!). Add the tomato juice you had set aside and the tomatoes themselves.
Bring the whole thing to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer so that the flavors can blend – basically, for about 10-15 minutes.
Do you have an immersion blender? I highly recommend it for this next part. Basically, you’re going to puree the soup in batches or, if you have immersion blender, just puree it right in the saucepan until it is totally smooth. Add some salt and cayenne pepper to taste. And voila! You are done. Serve it right away alongside a “fancy” grilled cheese” (see below) or throw it into Tupperware and put it in your fridge for a few days to serve on a different night.
I had the soup for dinner and also for lunch the next day (along with a side of peasant bread and a chunk of apple Gruyere cheese from the “fancy” grilled cheese sandwiches) and it totally does well the next day. Yum.
“Fancy” Grilled Cheese
Our “fancy” grilled cheese is really not that fancy; I just like to call it that because we use a cheese besides American or cheddar and throw some apples in there just for fun. It includes:
- White peasant bread
- Apple Gruyère cheese
- Granny smith apples
- A dash of honey
While I’m sad to say my kiddos refused to try the soup (Buddy thought it looked too much like pasta sauce! Oh, the horror!), they enjoyed their grilled cheese … with American cheese and no fruit. Sigh. Maybe next time.
Enjoy!
P.S. If you liked this, you may also want to check out my Red Quinoa Salad recipe!
Giselle@myhealthyhappyhome says
Yum! I love tomato soup and grilled cheese! I’m like you though, the fancier the better! I actually don’t like just plain grilled cheese at all. It’s got to have some pizazz to it! This sounds delish!