Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

I have absolutely NO idea what possessed me to make this recipe. While I love grilled cheese sandwiches, I do not like tomato soup. Now, I'll admit that my only experience with tomato soup has been Campbell's condensed stuff, but still...not a fan. Maybe I was just sick of looking for recipes so I printed out the last thing I looked at, or maybe I was really tired when putting together my shopping list...who knows. But whatever the reason, I purchased everything to make this, so I made it.

While this wasn't a difficult recipe, it WAS a pain-in-the butt. Boiling the tomatoes for 10 seconds, then shocking them in ice water so you can peel the skin off, then chopping them. Transferring the chunky soup from the pan to a blender, then to a bowl, then back to the pan...UGH! Certainly not my favorite recipe to put together!

Once everything was all said and done though, this was actually really good. Heath didn't care for it (he still ate it though), nor did Jesse, but I actually ate all mine! Now, I'm not gonna lie...will I make this again? Probably not. But if anyone were to ask me if I know of a good homemade tomato soup recipe, I wouldn't hesitate a second to offer up this one. I'm glad I gave it try...it was nice to see what REAL tomato soup is supposed to taste like!

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'Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches'

Source: Betty Crocker

Ingredients

2 lb fresh tomatoes (about 4 to 5 medium)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 can tomato paste (6 oz)
1 teaspoon salt
 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
 1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Directions

1. In large saucepan, heat 3 quarts water to boiling. With sharp knife, cut shallow X in bottom of each tomato. Add to boiling water, 2 or 3 at a time, for 10 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, remove tomatoes from boiling water; immediately plunge into ice water until cold. Drain. Peel and chop tomatoes.

2. In heavy 3-quart saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Cook onion in oil 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Stir in chopped tomatoes, broth, tomato paste, salt, nutmeg and red pepper. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 5 minutes or until tomatoes are soft. Stir in whipping cream.

3. In blender or food processor, place 2 1/2 cups tomato mixture. Cover; blend on medium speed 30 seconds or until smooth. Pour mixture into large bowl. Repeat with remaining tomato mixture. Return pureed mixture to saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently, until hot. Top each serving with basil.

4. Serve with Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.

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