TOMATO SOUP WITH GRILLED CHEESE CROUTONS

Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons image

Provided by Valerie Bertinelli

Time 1h

Yield 4 main-dish servings (10 appetizer servings)

Number Of Ingredients 15

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 medium white onion, diced
4 cups chicken broth
Two 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes, with their liquid
One 10-ounce can tomato sauce
1 Parmesan rind
3/4 cup chopped fresh basil
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup heavy cream
4 soft white bread slices
4 American cheese slices

Steps:

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, salt, pepper and onion and cook until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the broth, diced tomatoes with their liquid, tomato sauce, Parmesan rind and 1/4 cup of the basil and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes. Remove the Parmesan rind and puree the soup with an immersion blender until smooth.
In a small saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter. Whisk in the flour and continue to cook, whisking, until the mixture is lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the cream and cook, stirring, until thickened. Add the cream mixture to the soup and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the soup has thickened, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a medium skillet over medium heat until foamy. Place 2 of the bread slices in the skillet; top each bread slice with 2 cheese slices, 2 tablespoons of the chopped basil and another bread slice. Cook until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is melted, about 3 minutes per side. Cut each sandwich into 9 pieces.
Serve the soup with the grilled cheese croutons and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup basil.