An easy, 30-minute homemade tomato soup topped with crusty bread and cheddar, then broiled until the cheese is melted and golden. Healthy comfort food!
Who doesn’t love a piping hot bowl of homemade tomato soup on cold, dreary days?
I definitely do.
However.
Classic tomato soup always feels incomplete to me.
Like there has to be a tasty grilled cheese served alongside it to make the soup everything it can be.
So that led me to whip up the most delicious twist on tomato soup: Tomato Soup Au Gratin.
In other words, tomato soup topped with thin slices of crusty bread and shredded cheddar, and broiled for a couple of minutes until the cheese is bubbly and golden.
My inspiration, of course, was good old French onion soup.
Here’s what I figured:
Onion soup all alone = tasty, but something’s missing.
Onion soup topped with crusty bread and gooey melted cheese (aka French onion soup) = perfection.
I had a strong feeling tomato soup could benefit from the same basic equation.
And it really does.
The bread soaks in all of the flavorful tomato broth, and the rich, melted cheese is such a tasty complement to the veggie soup.
This tomato soup au gratin recipe is also simple to make and ready in about 30 minutes.
You can purée the soup after it’s cooked in a blender or food processor.
But I prefer to leave the diced veggies alone – it’s heartier that way. (And it saves a step and some dishes too!)
This tomato soup au gratin is a comforting, crowd-pleasing, complete meal in one bowl.
This yummy recipe is like a fancier version of Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese for grown-ups.
Here’s the complete recipe for 30-Minute Tomato Soup Au Gratin:
- Serving size: 4
- Calories: 363
- Fat: 9.6g
- Saturated fat: 3.5g
- Carbohydrates: 46.3g
- Sugar: 13.5g
- Sodium: 1088mg
- Fiber: 5.3g
- Protein: 24.3g
- Cholesterol: 12mg
Total Time: 30 minutes
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Level: Easy
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ small onion, diced
- 2 medium celery stalks, diced
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon agave nectar (or substitute organic honey or granulated sugar)
- 42 ounces diced tomatoes
- 2 cups organic vegetable broth
- ½ baguette, thinly sliced
- 8 ounces shredded organic cheddar
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onion, celery, carrots and bay leaves. Season well with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until veggies are softened, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the thyme, agave, tomatoes and broth. Stir until well combined and season with salt and pepper. Increase heat to High and partially cover until soup begins to boil. Then reduce heat to a light simmer. Season to your taste with salt and pepper.
- Remove the bay leaves.
- Optional: pour the soup into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth and creamy. Or skip this step to leave bites of diced veggies in the soup.
- Place oven-safe ramekins on a baking sheet. Ladle tomato soup into each ramekin, filling nearly to the brim.
- Cut the baguette into thin slices and arrange over soup, covering the top of each ramekin. Top the bread with handfuls of shredded cheddar
- Place under broiler until cheese begins to bubble and turn golden, about 4-6 minutes.
- Allow soup to cool slightly. Then use oven mitts to place (piping hot!) ramekins on plates, and serve.
I estimate nutrition info by entering my recipes at Very Well.
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