The days are getting longer and the sun feels a bit warmer but there’s still a crispness to the air that lets you know that spring is just starting to wake up. It’s on days like these that I long for trips to the newly reopened farmer’s markets for inspiration.
So, the other day, when I stumbled on to these beauties, I knew that I had to buy them. But, even though the tomatoes looked beautiful and were, in theory, ripe they still didn’t taste as good as fresh local Maryland summer tomatoes.
That’s when I decided to make soup. But not just any soup. I had to go to the holy grail.
Ina Garten has a trick for turning average tomatoes into something really special by roasting them for a short period of time and then cooking them with onions, basil, garlic and canned tomatoes. I know, I know, who wants to turn on their oven just to make soup? But trust me, roasting the tomatoes, just slightly, turns up the volume on their sweetness and elevates what could have been an ordinary tomato soup into something extraordinary that can be enjoyed either hot or cold. But wait, there’s more, this soup can be made completely vegetarian by substituting vegetable stock or water for chicken stock and it will last in your fridge for days. All the makings of a delicious, healthy lunch or light dinner.
And of course, you can’t have tomato soup without grilled cheese. Well, I guess you could but why would you want to? That, to me, would be like having a cream puff without the cream. What would be the point?
Extraordinary soup, deserves extraordinary grilled cheese so I turned mine into oven baked grilled cheese empanadas that are ready in minutes, require no frying whatsoever and, just like the soup can be made ahead of time. Trust me when I tell you, this is comfort food at it’s best.
The Dishy Details
I started by tossing the fresh tomatoes with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper and roasting them for about 45 minutes.
Then I sautéed the onions, garlic, a bit of red pepper flakes. I added canned tomatoes, lots of fresh basil and thyme, chicken stock, the oven roasted tomatoes and simmered everything for about 40 minutes. That’s it.
Ina suggests passing the soup through a food mill before serving. Since I don’t happen to own a food mill and because I happen to like a smooth and creamy soup, I tossed mine into a blender in batches and pureed it instead. You can also feel free to use an immersion blender if you have one.
Then, just because I like to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes, I added some brown sugar which turned up the flavor a bit more and created a wonderful balance of spice and sweetness. This is totally optional but I think it makes a huge difference.
The empanadas came next. A blend of gruyere, cream cheese and honey nestled between layers of store bought puff pastry, sprinkled with some corse sea salt and baked for about 10 minutes created the most melty, delicious vehicle for dunking into the soup. Of course, you can substitute any combination of cheese that you prefer and totally customize these empanadas to your taste.
Then serve then along with a bowl of soup topped with fresh basil, a sprinkle of course pepper and, if you like, a tiny drizzle of heavy cream. I promise you that this will make youl forget about canned tomato soup forever.
I hope that you decide to give this Roasted Tomato And Basil Soup With Oven Baked Grilled Cheese Empanadas a whirl. If you do, please let me know what you think and or tag me on Instagram. I always love to hear from everyone and to see pictures of any recipes that you make. And above all, thank you so much for stopping by.
Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup With Oven Baked Grilled Cheese Empanadas
Ingredients
Soup:
- 3 lb ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
- 6 tbs extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 tbs kosher salt
- 1½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups yellow onions (about 2 small onions), chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbs unsalted butter
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 (28 oz) can plum tomatoes with their juices
- 4 cups fresh basil leaves, packed (plus extra for topping)
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 4 cups chicken stock, vegetable stock or water
- 3 tbs brown sugar (optional)
- heavy cream for serving (optional)
Grilled Cheese Empanadas:
- 2 sheets puff pastry, defrosted
- ½ cup cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup Gruyerre cheese, shredded
- 1 tbs honey
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbs milk
- flaky sea salt for topping
Instructions
Soup:
- Preheat oven to 400 °F. Toss the tomatoes with 4 tablespoons of the olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread the tomatoes in one layer on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes.
- When the tomatoes are about 15 minutes from being done, heat the remaining olive oil and butter in a large stock pot over medium heat until the butter is just melted. Add the onions, garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté until the onions begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme and chicken broth (vegetable stock or water). Add the oven roasted tomatoes with their juices, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for about 40 minutes.
- Allow to cool slightly then blend until smooth. Return to the stock pot, re-warm slightly and add the brown sugar. Stir until blended. Taste for seasonings. Serve hot or cold with a sprinkle of fresh basil and a drizzle of heavy cream (optional).
Grilled Cheese Empanadas:
- Preheat oven to 400 °F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl combine the cream cheese, Gruyerre cheese, honey, salt and pepper and mix to combine. In another small bowl, whisk together the egg and milk.
- Lay one sheet of puff pastry out on a lightly floured work surface. Roll out slightly to about ¼ inch thickness. Using a 3 inch round cookie cutter, cut out 9 circles. Place the circles on the prepared baking sheet and top each one with about 1-1½ tsp of the cheese mixture. Be careful not to overfill to prevent the cheese from leaking out.
- Brush the edges of the puff pastry circles lightly with the egg wash. Fold each circle over itself to form a half moon shaped empanada. Press the edges with a fork to seal securely. Repeat with remaining pastry and cheese filling (*see note for make ahead instructions). Brush each empanada with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Bake for about 10-15 minutes until the pastry has puffed up and turned a golden brown color. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes prior to serving.