ROASTED TOMATO BASIL SOUP W/ EVERYTHING BUT THE BAGEL GRILLED CHEESE😍

Life is weird right now and it’s easy to get into a bit of a funk, but that’s exactly what comfort food was made for, right? There’s something about cooking something delicious out of your own kitchen that makes you feel like you got tucked into bed at night with a kiss on the forehead. The same comforting notes you would expect from tomato soup and grilled cheese, but made extra flavorful by roasting the tomatoes in the oven and topping that grilled cheese with Everything but the Bagel Seasoning. Yes, it IS a game changer, and I can’t wait to see y’all make this!

Notes:

• I took a similar concept as my Tomato Confit recipe for this one, roasting the tomatoes in the oven with shallots and garlic that gets are jammy and soft and adds uber flavor to your soup.

• If you have a dutch oven, hooray for a one pot meal! You can roast in the oven and transfer easily onto the stove. You can find the dutch oven that I have here.

• To blend the soup, you’ll either need a good immersion blender (linked here) or you’ll need to transfer the soup to a blender to blend. Either way works great!

• I always put everything but the bagel seasoning on my tomato soup, so figured why not add it to the grilled cheese to create a crispy flavorful crust? YES PLEASE!

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

For the Roasted Tomato Basil Soup:

• 20oz tomatoes on the vine, quartered (about 5 large tomatoes)

• 16 oz pearl tomatoes on the vine, cut in half (about 10 small-medium tomatoes)

• ½ cup olive oil

• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

• 2 shallots, skins on

• 10 garlic cloves, skins on

• 6 basil leaves

• 3-4 sprigs of thyme

• ½ cup original nutpods, heavy cream, or canned coconut milk

• Red pepper flakes to taste (optional)

• Salt and pepper to taste

For the Everything but the Bagel Grilled Cheese (per 1 sandwich):

• 2 slices sourdough bread 

• ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

• ½ cup shredded jack cheese

• Softened salted butter

• Everything but the Bagel Seasoning (about 2-3 tbsps)

Directions:

For the Roasted Tomato Basil Soup:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

• Add the cut tomatoes, shallots, garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, basil, thyme, salt and pepper to a dutch oven or roasting tray.

• Roast uncovered for 40-45 minutes or until the shallots and garlic are soft.

• Remove the thyme from the pot, as well as the skins off the garlic and shallots and add the insides back into the pot.

• By either using an immersion blender or a blender, blend the tomatoes with the roasted garlic, shallots, basil, and juices from the pot.

• Add back to the pot and turn the heat to medium low.

• Stir in the nutpods/cream and season with more red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper to taste. Keep warm while you work on your grilled cheese.

For the Everything but the Bagel Grilled Cheese:

• Shred the cheeses by hand (it will melt better!)

• Butter one side of each slice of sourdough and sprinkle the everything but the bagel seasoning directly onto the buttered side. Press in with your fingers.

• Heat 1 tbsp of butter in a nonstick skillet on medium high heat.

• Add shredded cheese in between the slices of bread. 

• Place the sandwich in the pan and cook 3-4 minutes per side or until golden brown. If the toast is toasting faster than the cheese is melting, cover with a lid.

• Cut in half and serve with a bowl of the tomato soup. Enjoy!