Homemade Tomato Basil Soup

One of our favorite comfort foods are grilled cheese and tomato soup. As I’ve mentioned before, we love to watch Ina Garten. This tomato soup recipe is by Ina, and we liked it because it’s not cream-based, and it’s very flavorful with lots of basil and roasted tomatoes. Although this does take longer than opening a can of tomato soup, it is far superior in looks and taste.

The soup is first cooked stovetop and then is blended, but the texture is not a wimpy liquid, it actually looks like there’s cream holding it together.

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
• 1/4 C plus 2 T EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
• 1 T salt
• 1 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 C chopped yellow onions
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 T unsalted butter
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 28 oz can plum tomatoes, with juice
• 4 C fresh basil leaves
• 1 tsp thyme leaves
• 1 quart chicken stock or water, or vegetable stock (I used chicken broth because I think stock is too yellow)

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 400*. Toss together tomatoes, 1/4 C olive oil, salt and pepper on a baking sheet in one layer. Roast for 45 minutes.

• In a large soup pot over medium heat, saute onions and garlic with 2 T olive oil, butter, red pepper flakes for 10 minutes, until onions start to brown.
• Add canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, chicken stock.
• Add oven roasted tomatoes and juices from the pan.
• Bring to a boil, then simmer for 40 minutes.
• Ina passes her soup through a food mill, but no one has that, so we used a blender. Be careful when adding hot soup to a blender by adding small amounts and then dumping in a mixing bowl.
• Add blended soup back to stovetop to heat up when ready to serve.
• Add more salt and pepper as desired.

Can be served hot or cold.

Grilled Cheese

We actually Googled how to make a great grilled cheese because there are so many breads, cheeses and methods. Here is how we cooked ours.

Ingredients

• 4 pieces sourdough bread (2 per person)
• 1/3 apple
• Gouda cheese
• White cheddar cheese
• 2 T butter

Instructions:

• On a hot skillet with a dab of melted butter, place one piece of bread buttered side down with cheese on top in a row. Add top piece of bread with buttered side up and let sit for 2-3 minutes.

• When cheese is starting to melt, flip the sandwich and cook again for 2-3 minutes.
• When cheese is melted and bread is toasty, it’s ready.
• I put apple slices inside mine with the cheese. Gave it a nice crunch and sweetness.

When is the last time you made grilled cheese and tomato soup? Making the whole thing from scratch makes it extra special, and a true meaning of homemade comfort food.