Counting the Beans and Cooking the Books

Tomato soup is one of those things that tastes better to me now than it ever did as a kid. Perhaps its because my palate has become so mature and refined due to my impressive cooking expertise and countless gourmet meals that I prepare each night…NOT!  Haha…if you know me at all, you know I love a chicken nugget as much as any 5 year-old and that I still love all the nostalgia-evoking foods from my childhood.  Funyuns, anyone?

I think the reason why tomato soup tastes so much better now is because it IS so much better now.  Back then, I only knew Campbell’s.  Then I got to know Panera and Whole Foods and I fell in love.  And now that I can make my own, I am in total tomato soup lust.  My favorite culinary school lessons were soup-making and sauce-making.  If you already know how to make both, congratulations…you just saved yourself a lot of moolah.

What usually makes tomato soup so good is the addition of cream; my standard recipe uses butter and flour to form a light roux and is finished with heavy cream. This genius version is totally dairy free, lower in fat, and draws upon a traditional Italian technique that incorporates bread for smoothness and body.

I adapted it from a Cook’s Illustrated recipe and it is totally tomato-riffic without all that fat to dull the flavor.  And it’s not too thick or too sweet, like many others. This homemade soup is worlds better than the canned variety and so much cheaper than buying it in a deli or restaurant.

Serve it with a grilled cheese, tuna melt, or on its own with my adorable tiny grilled cheese croutons!  It is guaranteed to make your snowy day feel extra toasty.

Tomato Soup

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 rib celery, diced
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 3 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 3 slices white bread, crusts removed and cut into cubes
• 2 cups chicken stock
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Grilled Cheese Croutons

• 8 slices wheat or white bread
• 8 slices American cheese
• 4 tbsp butter, softened

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a medium stockpot over medium-high heat. Sweat onion and celery until softened and translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add dried basil, tomatoes, sugar, and bread. Bring soup to a simmer and cook; during this time, the bread should begin to fall apart.

Remove pot from heat and add remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Using an immersion blender, puree soup until smooth. Strain the soup through a sieve and bring back to a simmer, add chicken stock, and season with salt, pepper, and a touch more sugar if desired.  Serve with grilled cheese croutons.

To make grilled cheese croutons, assemble four sandwiches with 2 slices cheese each. Lightly butter the outsides of the sandwiches and grill over medium low heat until very crisp and well browned. Remove from heat, trim the crusts, and cut sandwiches into small ½ inch squares.