Is there anything more comforting then a warm bowl of soup on a cold winter day? Apparently, a warm bowl of soup on a cold spring day! This winter seems to be cutting into spring big time and quite frankly I’m getting a little tired of it, as are most people. The only good thing about it is that it lengthens the time we can enjoy a nice hot bowl of soup. And, since it rains in Ohio 10 to 14 days a month on average, soup is a big go-to for me. I will probably add a subtitle “soups” at some point because I do make quite a few of them. Throughout the fall and winter I make chicken soup almost every week. Then there is vegetable soup, carrot and parsnip soup, butternut squash soup, lentil soup, split pea soup, potato leek, onion soup, hot and sour soup (shout out to my sister-in-law Barbara for that one), velvet chicken and corn soup, mushroom barley soup, and in the summer, gazpacho and chilled fruit soups! Tonight it was so cold, it felt like a tomato soup kind of night. Since I had a loaf of roasted garlic bread in the house, what better to go along side than a delicious gooey grilled cheese? This recipe is loosely based on Barefoot Contessa’s easy tomato soup & grilled cheese croutons (how clever is that?) but with a Splash of Sherri and much less fat! This recipe makes 4 to 6 servings.

2 sweet onions diced
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 cloves of garlic peeled and minced
4 cups vegetable stock (store bought is fine for this)
2 (28 ounce) cans San Marzano tomatoes
1 pint cherry tomatoes or any mix of fresh tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon sugar
1 to 2 teaspoons sea salt (season to taste)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon black pepper (season to taste)

Grilled cheese recipe follows at the end

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Wash a pint of tomatoes, core and cut in half. Place on a small baking sheet and drizzle with one tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt, toss to coat. Roast in the oven for about 20 minute or until the tomatoes start to have a nice light charred look to them. I roasted a pint of mini heirloom tomatoes in my toaster oven. They added such a wonderful flavor to the soup. If you can find them, I highly recommend them.

Meanwhile, in a large pot heat 2 tbs. olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook over medium to low heat for about 15 to 20 minutes until they are nice and caramelized.* Add the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes, stir in the vegetable stock, can of tomatoes, roasted tomatoes, bay leaf, sugar, salt and pepper.. Bring the soup to a light boil, then lower the heat and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes. Use and immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth.

* I use the Arthur Schwartz method of caramelizing onions. After you place them in the pot, cover them for 10 minutes stirring every 3 minutes or so. Then uncover them and cook another 10 to 15 minutes stirring occasionally, until they become nice and golden brown. See my post on how to caramelize onions in my favorite things category.

Grilled cheese sandwiches for 3 people plus one extra to cut into croutons:

8 slices Roasted garlic bread sliced into 1/2 inch slices (or the bread of your choice)
1 cup good quality lowfat cheddar cheese shredded
olive oil to brush the bread

Heat a griddle or panini pan. Place 4 slices of bread on a cutting board and lightly brush with olive oil. Usually grilled cheese is made by buttering the bread but I prefer the taste of olive oil and it’s healthier. Place them oiled side down in the pan. Top each slice with 1/4 cup of cheese. Place remaining slices of bread on top and lightly brush with olive oil.

Grill the sandwiches for about 4 minutes a side, or until nicely browned. Place on a cutting board and allow them to rest for about a minute before slicing in half. Slice 3 of the sandwiches in half. The extra sandwich, cut into 1 inch cubes and place in a bowl  to be used as croutons. Enjoy!