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Cream of Roasted Tomato Soup with Parsley Croutons

Last week we had an unusual amount of heavy rain here in Northern California.  So when it’s stormy outside there is nothing more satisfying than a bowl of homemade Cream of Roasted Tomato Soup with Parsley Croûtons and a grilled cheese sandwich hanging off the side of the plate.  Tomato soup and grilled cheese go together as if they are a mating pair; one without the other is just wrong.

This meal always hits the spot and conjurs up great childhood memories of the canned Campbell’s version.  Of course homemade is soooo much better.  No comparison.

Yesterday it was back to business as usual in the weather department…perpetually sunny skies and warm air…I wore short sleeves and flip flops.  I did wear corduroy pants to keep with Winter’s theme but really, shorts would have been an acceptable choice.

This version of tomato soup is made from lots of fresh veggies which is how I like it.  A garden taste in every bite.

Let’s make it together…

Here’s what you will need for the soup:  Tomatoes, olive oil, shallots, carrot, fennel bulb, unsalted butter, chicken stock, fresh tarragon, fresh parsley, salt, pepper and heavy cream.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Cut tomatoes in half, seed them and coat with olive oil.  Place tomatoes in a shallow baking dish and bake for 30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes, until the skins begin to darken and blister.

Remove from the oven and let cool.  Remove the skins and reserve pulp and all the juices.

Coarsely chop 8 shallots, 1 carrot and 1 fennel bulb.  Melt 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat.  Sauté the vegetables until they are very soft.

Add 2 cups chicken stock and 6 sprigs of both fresh parsley and fresh tarragon.  Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.

While this is cooking make the croûtons.

For the croûtons you will need:  Sliced baguette, olive oil, garlic, Teleme cheese (or Parmesan) and fresh parsley.

Lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees.  Slice the bread into 12 thin slices, brushing each side generously with olive oil and place on a baking sheet.  Rub one side of the bread with garlic and place a dollop of Teleme cheese or a sprinkle of Parmesan on top.  Sprinkle with parsley and bake until brown.

Of course while the soup was simmering and the croûtons were baking, I had to fry up one of these babies.  Sourdough bread slathered with Teleme cheese and sliced tomato. 

Once the soup is done simmering, remove the herb sprigs and add the reserved tomato pulp and reserved tomato juices.  Puree the soup in several batches in a blender.  I tried using an immersion blender but it was unable to get the soup to the proper consistency.

Return soup to the pan and stir in 1 cup of heavy cream, heating until warm.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Keep warm over low heat.

Ladle soup into warm bowls and float parsley croûtons on top of each bowl.

When you have this to eat, who cares if it’s raining or snowing.  Well, I guess that’s easy for me to say since it’s sunny here.

Cream of Roasted Tomato Soup with Parsley Croûtons
Adapted from Tomatoes, A Country Garden Cookbook

2 pounds large ripe tomatoes
Olive oil to coat tomatoes
8 shallots
1 small carrot
1 small fennel bulb
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
6 sprigs fresh tarragon
6 sprigs fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup heavy cream

Parsley Croûtons:
12 thin slices baguette
Olive oil to generously coat both sides of each piece of baguette
3 cloves garlic, cut in half
Teleme cheese (or Parmesan)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Cut tomatoes in half, seed them and coat with olive oil.  Place tomatoes in a shallow baking dish and bake for 30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes, until the skins begin to darken and blister.

Remove from the oven and let cool.  Remove the skins and reserve pulp and all the juices.

Coarsely chop shallots, carrot and fennel bulb.  Melt butter in a heavy pot over medium heat.  Sauté the vegetables until they are very soft.

Add chicken stock and sprigs of both fresh parsley and fresh tarragon.  Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.

While this is cooking make the croûtons.

Lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees.  Slice the bread into 12 thin slices, brushing each side generously with olive oil and place on a baking sheet.  Rub one side of the bread with garlic and place a dollop of Teleme cheese or a sprinkle of Parmesan on top.  Sprinkle with parsley and bake until brown.

Once the soup is done simmering, remove the herb sprigs and add the reserved tomato pulp and tomato juices.  Puree the soup in several batches in a blender.  I tried using an immersion blender but it was unable to get the soup to the proper consistency.

Return soup to the pan and stir in heavy cream, heating until warm.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Keep warm over low heat until ready to serve.

Ladle soup into warm bowls and float parsley croûtons on top of each bowl.

What I Was Bogging About One Year Ago Today:  Familiarity Breeds Contentment

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Comments

  1. Looks delicious .. and absolutely the right thing for a wet day ..

    Don’t you need the rain? We’ve got lots here!

    Have sunny days .. & wet nights!

    Hilary: Be Positive Be Happy

    Reply

  10. Oh, that looks sooooo good. The family loves grilled cheese and tomato soup and I can’t wait to try this homemade version. Now if only I can find a fennel bulb…my town is only 600 people ya know, rarely do we even have shallots!

    Reply

  12. Definitely no comparison to the canned tomato soup that my mother used to make!! What a superb combination of ingredients, to make the most delicious cream of tomato soup I have ever eaten!! We have a lot of damp cool days along the coast where I live also, and there is nothing like a bowl of hot soup to comfort me body and soul! Thanks for the recipe and your photos are just great.

    Reply

  13. I’ve never been able to deal with either cooked tomatoes or cooked cheese. My wife has pointed out that since I like pizza I am not entirely consitent. I also don’t like pasta.

    About the third year of our life together my brother’s SO served pasta, two different spagetti’s, for dinner and out of politeness I ate it. When I took seconds on both, including the one with tomato sauce, she realized that there was chink in my armor.
    A few questions later my brother had told her that our mother’s recipe for tomato sauce involved a bottle of catsup and the pasta was boiled for 30 minutes by the clock. Turns out the catsup is a Scandnavian thing, but we never did figure where the boiling time came from.

    She can now put things like lasagna on the table.

    http://blog.charcuteire.com/2009/02/27/charcuterie.aspx as example.

    Neither the pasta nor the cheese is homemade in this case, although she has done both, every thing else is.

    Reply

  17. You know, I don’t like tomatoes or even tomato soup…but after reading this recipe & seeing the photos, I just might like this one! Too bad you can’t send me a cup. =)

    Reply

  26. I made a similar soup recently,with grilled cheese croutons, so I know how delicious it is!
    Flip flops??? I don’t even have to buy those here! You are soooo lucky, I am so sick of the winter, and literally have a cold for a third week now!

    Reply

  28. It’s still cool at night here in Southern California, too, which always gets me in the mood to make soup. Thanks for this recipe! You’re right, tomato soup and a great grilled cheese go hand in hand.

    Reply

  29. What I wouldn’t do for a bowl of this as it is snowing outside. I might make it for dinner.

    What wine would you serve with this, because we have to have wine!

    Reply

  30. This has to be one of the prettiest tomato
    soups I’ve seen. Grilled cheese and tomato soup should grow on a vine together in the garden of some mad scientist. This is a really nice recipe.

    Reply

  38. OMG, I love tomato soup! I had the most amazing bisque last night. I will definitely try this once the prices of tomatoes goes down – they wanted $3.99 a pound for vine ripened tomatoes!

    The addition of fennel is also intriguing me!

    Happy Monday – hope you had a good weekend!

    Reply

  41. This was my most favorite soup to order while in Europe. Love It! Yours looks fantastic. Funny I am roasting tomatoes now as I am typing this. I am making them for my salad for dinner tonight. The other night I roasted some at a very high heat and they got a nice char on them. Wow fantastic! It improves the taste of these winter tomatoes we are still getting.

    Reply

  48. That looks like really good comfort food….and there is a small “chill” in the air…LOL…that looks like a great dinner for tonight with the cooler temps…I ♥ SOUP and SANDWICHES!

    Reply

  51. It is snowing outside and very cold. This is what I am fixing for dinner tonight, shoulda had it for lunch yesterday afternoon after cleaning out goat and sheep pens!It just looks like it will hit the spot.Thanks!

    Reply

  55. This looks good. I’ve never really been a fan of the bright red, too sour tomato soup. But this looks more approachable. Actually it looks like some gazpacho I had the other day. Might have to try it. 🙂

    Reply

  56. I am such a huge fan of tomato soup and grilled cheese, but, sadly, no one else in my family likes tomato soup. This upscale tomato soup might be just the ticket for one of our support group meetings though … before it warms up. I found a new gluten-free bread that I like that would work well for the croutons and grilled cheese aspect. (Although I am not making grilled cheese for the meeting … a short order cook I am not. LOL)

    Thanks,
    Shirley

    Reply

  57. Wow- that just looks perfect! I’m definitely going to add that to my list of soups! Thanks for the awesome step by step instructions! (Also- I don’t know how you do this fancy “commenting” system. I guess I just need to get more computer/techno savvy. I’ll try to figure it out.) 🙂

    Reply

  61. who didn’t have grilled cheese and tomato soup as a child? it was the only thing that would make me feel better when i was sick. it was the only thing that would warm me up during a snow day after sledding. i still love it but, sadly, don’t eat it as much anymore. love that yours was creamy.

    Reply

  64. It looks waaay better than Campbell’s for sure! And we’re having the perfect bleah weather for it, too. It’s been raining all manner of pets here!

    I think Perfect Marinara and Perfect Cheesecake need to go on the list. Do you have a Go To recipe to share?

    Reply

  66. Oh my! I’m gonna have to try this. You always have the best recipes! It’s gonna be cold here the next couple of days so this is gonna be good for supper one night. Thanks

    Reply

  68. It was a horribly rainy week in N.Cal. last week, wasn’t it?! I wish I had had your soup and sandwich to combat the nasty weather. These look AMAZING. Plus, you know these two were born to be together!

    Reply

  71. How fortuitous! I have had grilled cheese on my mind all day today. I just bought some of Cahill’s Irish Porter Cheddar and am wondering how to do it justice. I think it would be wonderful with your gorgeous soup.

    Reply

  75. Oh gee, I have such a *thing* for soup. I also have a *thing* for roasted tomatoes. Um, I fear I would also have a *thing* for this sandwich, and well I might as well go all the way and have a *thing* for those parsley coutons, too. *happy sigh*

    Reply

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