Roasting garlic gives it a deep and sweet flavour in this creamy, comforting tomato soup.
ingredients
For the soup
For the grilled cheese croutons
directions
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Grease a large baking sheet with non-stick spray and set aside.
On a large baking sheet, arrange tomatoes and garlic and then drizzle with olive oil as well as salt and pepper. Roast tomatoes for one hour, stirring occasionally. Remove sheet from oven and allow to cool.
In the meantime, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until translucent. Sprinkle flour over and stir for about a minute. Add broth as well as the roasted tomatoes and garlic. Simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. In the last few minutes, stir in the basil leaves. Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. Working in batches, transfer the soup to a blender and puree. Season with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, heat a greased frying pan over medium heat. Butter the bread. Place a slice, butter side down in the pan and arrange the cheese on top. Top with the other slice, butter side up. Cook the sandwich until the cheese nearly melts and the bread is golden brown on both sides. Remove from the pan and slice into quarters.
Ladle soup into thermos and pack grilled cheese in an airtight, glass container.