Tomato Soup with Cheese and Bacon Toasties

(15)
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Prep Time:
35 mins
Total Time:
45 mins
Servings:
4

If end-of-season tomatoes are on sale, make a double batch of soup (omitting the cream) and freeze, up to 3 months. Stir in the cream after thawing and reheating the soup.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1 large red onion, chopped

  • 1 garlic clove, chopped

  • coarse salt and ground pepper

  • 3 large tomatoes (about 2 pounds total), cored and chopped

  • 1 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

  • ¼ cup heavy cream

  • 6 slices bacon

  • 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature

  • 8 slices white sandwich bread

  • 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese

Directions

  1. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add onion and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until onion softens, 4 to 6 minutes. Add tomatoes and increase heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring, until tomatoes begin to break down, 4 to 6 minutes.

  2. Add broth and 1 cup water. Simmer until tomatoes are very soft, about 10 minutes. In batches, puree soup in a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids). Return soup to pot and simmer 1 minute; stir in cream and season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.

  3. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium until lightly browned but not crisp, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels; discard fat from skillet. Butter 8 slices bread. Place 4 slices, buttered side down, on a work surface. Top with bacon and cheese. Top with remaining bread, buttered side up. In batches, cook sandwiches in skillet over medium-low until cheese melts and bread is golden, about 5 minutes per side. Quarter sandwiches and serve with soup.

Cook's Notes

To create a velvety texture without using a lot of cream, puree the soup until smooth in a blender.

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