Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese

One of our Green Bay television stations has a local show called Living with Amy.  It is mostly a cooking show with a few crafting spots and features from local businesses.  Last week she made homemade tomato soup and grilled cheese.  The soup was so easy.  It has a 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes, chicken broth and a little heavy cream.  I just used whole milk.  The grilled cheese are made the usual way, but you cut them into small crouton size squares.

http://fox11online.com/living/living-with-amy/quick-and-easy-homemade-tomato-soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup finely diced onion
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
3 to 4 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper
1/2 to 3/4 cup heavy cream
Parmesan cheese (optional)
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil (optional)

Directions:

Heat olive oil over medium-low heat in a large soup pot.  Add onions and cook a few minutes stirring occasionally, until soft.  Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more, stirring constantly to avoid burning the garlic.

Stir in the tomatoes and 3 cups of chicken stock.  Season with a little salt and pepper.  Bring the soup to a boil, then lower heat to simmer for about 5 minutes.

Stir in the cream and let it simmer another 4-5 minutes.  If it's too thick, add a little more stock.  If you want it creamier, add more milk or cream and a little less chicken stock.

Note:  Amy said she loves to serve this with grilled cheese sandwiches cut into bite sized pieces and that's what we did.  Just float the grilled cheese croutons on top of the hot soup.  Some people don't like onion or pieces of tomato in their tomato soup, so all the ingredients could be put into a blender for a smoother texture.

It was so good, especially with the grilled cheese croutons.  It was nearly as easy as opening a can of Campbell's tomato soup and had no extra additives.  A can of tomatoes contains only tomatoes and salt.  You can make your own chicken stock or buy a pure chicken stock with nothing added.  The one I had contained chicken stock with a little salt and some sugar which didn't thrill me, but it's all I had.  The other main ingredient is milk or you could use a non dairy product.  This is what is in Campbell's tomato soup.  Tomato Puree (Water , Tomato Paste), High Fructose Corn Syrup, Wheat Flour, Water, Contains less than 2% of:  Salt, Potassium Chloride, Flavoring, Citric Acid, Lower Sodium Natural Sea Salt, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Monopotassium Phosphate.