Tomato Soup Gratinée

This version of Tomato Soup Gratinée, takes the American classic Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese combo to a whole new level. Creamy tomato soup topped with grilled baguette and mozzarella - gratinéed in the oven like a French Onion Soup Gratinée. The best of both worlds that you need to try now. The cheese pull is incredible.

Few things are as comforting as a rich tomato soup on a rainy day. Adding basil pesto (or fresh basil if it is in season) to the soup at the last minute brings a brightness to the dish that harkens Provence.

You will find this soup quick and easy to throw together and the cooking skill required for this recipe is very minimal. For me, Tomato Soup is a quick meal so while I appreciate the effort involved, I rarely roast the tomatoes in advance and prefer to use canned crushed tomatoes, especially if it is not tomato season. This soup can be ready in under 30 minutes.

Tips for making Simple Tomato Pesto Soup

1. Allow your onions and garlic to soften in the olive oil at medium heat with the thyme. This will add a delicious richness to the soup
2. I like to add a couple carrots for extra nutrients ( a habit formed while feeding a toddler!) They also bring a little sweetness to the soup.
3. Add the cream and the basil at the very end, just before mixing.
4. For the baguette slices, rub both sides with garlic before browning, it brings so much more flavor to each bite.
5. Make as many baguette slices as you can fit in your pan - they are highly addictive!

Equipment Needed:

Soup Pot or Dutch Oven with at least 8 QT capacity (I love my Le Creuset Stock Pot or Dutch Oven for this soup)

Immersion blender (like this one by Kitchen Aid) or else a blender that you can pour the soup into.

French Onion Soup crocks. I like the traditional lion head bowls like you find in a French Bistro these but also a hearty handled version would be practical too. These white handled bowls would be easier to handle and are so cute.

Stainless Steel Sizzling Platters are so much easier to handle than a cookie sheet when making Tomato Soup Gratinée. You can fit 2 Soup Crocks at a time and the platters don't bend or warp like a cookie sheet can. A warped cookie sheet can be very dangerous when you have 4 bowls of steaming Tomato Soup on it! I use my sizzling platters for everything from finishing a steak in the oven to making grilled cheese to reheating a croissant.

How to Serve:

I like to serve my Tomato Soup Gratinée piping hot, especially on a rainy day! You will also make a double batch of the soup and freeze the leftovers. This soup can be kept for months in the freezer, ready for you to heat up whenever the inspiration strikes.

Tomato Soup Gratinée

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• Author: Anina Belle Gianini
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 25
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4 1x
• Category: soup
• Method: Oven baked
• Cuisine: French/ American

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Ingredients

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For the Soup:

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

2 cloves chopped garlic

2 sprigs of fresh thyme (or one teaspoon dried thyme)

4 cups chicken stock ( or vegetable for a vegetarian version of the soup)

1 can of crushed tomatoes (28 oz)

2 medium sized carrots, chopped

2 teaspoons French Salt & 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

½ cup of heavy cream

3 tablespoons of Pesto

Gratinée

4 thick slices of French Baguette (or any crusty bread that you have on hand - if it is sandwich loaf use 4 slices)

3 cloves of garlic, split length-wise

3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

16oz Sliced Mozarella Cheese

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Instructions

For the Soup:

1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat
2. Add the onions, garlic and thyme. Let cook for 5 minutes until onions are translucent. Stir in the chicken stock (0r vegetable stock), tomatoes, carrots, salt & pepper. Bring the soup to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for for 15 minutes.
3. Turn off the heat.  Remove the sprigs of thyme (if you used fresh thyme) and discard. Add the cream and pesto. Mix with an immersion blender. Serve.
4. For the Gratinée
5. While the soup is simmering on the stove, slice a Baguette into 8, ¾ inch slices.
6. Rub each slice, back and front, with the halved garlic cloves.
7. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the used garlic cloves and bread slices to the warm oil. Let the slices get golden brown (about 2-3 minutes) then drizzle the remaining olive oil over the bread and flip over to brown the other side (another 2-3 minutes). Your kitchen should smell amazing now!
8. Remove the bread from the pan and allow to cool a few minutes while you finish the soup.
9. Fill each soup crock to 1 inch below the brim with the Tomato Pesto Soup
10. Cover the filled soup crocks with the grilled baguette slices
11. Place several slices of mozarella over the top.
12. Broil for a few minutes (about 5 but watch very carefully!) on the middle rack of your oven until the cheese melts and becomes a little golden brown.
13. Serve immediately.

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