My bestest friend gave me a wonderful gift for my birthday a couple years ago – Kelsey Nixon’s cookbook, “Kitchen Confidence” (and not just because she’s related to Kelsey… because it really is a fantastic cookbook. Unsponsored). We spied this recipe immediately and made it almost as quickly. This is THE best tomato soup recipe we’ve made, hands-down. The tomato flavor is deep and the sweet, peppery pesto lends something truly special. These cheesy croutons are the equivalent of dipping a grilled cheese sammich into your soup, but – if you’re careful – you can achieve the same effect with fewer calories via croutons than you’d consume with an entire sammich. With only 10 minutes prep time and no meat, this soup is like the “golden child” of soups.
Tips (unsponsored): Pesto doesn’t have a very long shelf-life, so if you don’t use much pesto at a time, we found a tiny container in the produce section of our Walmart:
Also, we plead with you to use the San Marzano tomatoes that the recipe calls for, and please use Kitchen Basics chicken stock as opposed to a weak broth. It truly makes all the difference in soups (and everything else). We find that Walmart has the best price on both items.
Have your kids help you dump ingredients into the pot and sprinkle the croutons with cheese. As you prepare and enjoy this soup with those you love, teach them about some of the health benefits they are feeding their bodies:
- Garlic helps your body have healthy blood flow.
- The basil in pesto gives your body vitamin K, which help your blood clot correctly so you don’t bleed too much.
- Canned tomatoes are great for your skin.
Fun fact about tomato soup: As a chemist for Campbell’s Soup, Dr. John T. Dorrance invented tomato soup in 1897, resulting in much success for Campbell’s.
- Soup:
- 3 T extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic, mined
- 1 28 oz can San Marzano whole plum tomatoes
- 2½ C low sodium chicken STOCK
- 2 T pesto
- 2 T sugar
- ½ C heavy cream
- kosher salt and cracked black pepper
- Croutons:
- 1 (15-inch) loaf day old French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 4 T unsalted butter, melted
- kosher salt and cracked black pepper
- 1 C sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- For the soup: In a large sauce pan or Dutch oven set over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until translucent and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juices, chicken stock, pesto, and sugar. Use a potato masher to crush the tomatoes (or crush them by hand). Bring the soup to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth (alternatively, blend the soup in batches in a standard blender). Stir in the cream, bring the soup just to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. The soup will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
- For the croutons: preheat the oven to three 25°F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. In a medium bowl, toss the bread cubes with the melted butter. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Spread the cubes in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until they are just starting to crisp and turn golden brown, 10 minutes. Top the croutons with the cheese and bake until the cheese has melted, about five minutes.
- To serve, pour the soup into individual bowls and garnish with the croutons. Drizzle with pesto.
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