The other night, Nancy and I had the Best Tomato Bisque at one of our favorite places to enjoy food and wine. The one thing about the Fuhgeddaboudit Restaurant and Bar near us in Wildomar is that they continue to experiment with their menu, coming up with some truly outstanding dishes. I really could have killed a large bowl of that soup that night. It was so good! Being a loyal reader of my posts, you know it is always my way to try and make my own version of dishes that make the kind of impression on me as their Tomato Bisque did!
It was time for me to do some research and develop a recipe for a great Tomato Bisque. I believe I came up with the answer to all my questions!
What Kind of Tomatoes to Use and How to Treat Them
My first concern when making my tomato bisque was what kind of tomatoes to use. Do I use a good canned San Marzano Tomato or fresh tomatoes like a Roma variety? I decided that if I am going to use fresh tomatoes, I will roast them to bring out deeper flavors. Using canned Marzano tomatoes might give me a richer, sweeter, and more consistent soup. Since I have never made this soup before, I decided to use both canned and fresh tomatoes to bring out the best qualities of each.
What About the Crouton
What better match for my Tomato Soup is there than a Grilled Cheese sandwich? Pretty traditional, right? I did not want to overdo my dish, so I decided on making some toasty, cheesy croutons as the perfect topping for our soup. choose your favorite cheeses. I decided to use a combination of grated Parmigiano Reggiano and gruyere. Toasting the bread with a little olive oil added a tasty texture and flavor to my crouton.
By the way, if you want to make a grilled cheese sandwich to enjoy with your soup, don’t hesitate on my account! Go for it! In fact, take it one step further and make your grilled cheese sandwich. Cut it into small 2-inch squares. Add a few as a garnish to your soup, and you have the best of both worlds: a miniature grilled cheese sandwich the size of a crouton!
For me, soup is great any time of the year. Check out some of my other soup recipes. You will definitely find something perfect for you and your family!
- Chashu Pork Ramen
- Butternut Pumpkin Squash Soup
- Red Curry Turkey Soup
- Italian Wedding Soup
- Note: You can do a search on the Main page of my blog to find other soups that hit your fancy!
I hope you enjoy the recipe! Let me know your thoughts in the comment area below, and as always, thanks for Spending Time in My Kitchen!
The Best Tomato Bisque With Cheesy Croutons
6
servings30
minutes1
hour15
minutesIngredients
1 lb Roma tomatoes
1 Lg Yellow onion (1/2 for roasting-1/2 for the pot)
5 Cloves Garlic (4 smashed for roasting – 1 minced for the pot)
3 Tbl Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and pepper to taste (use white pepper)
28 Oz Can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes with juices
2 Tbl Tomato paste
4 Cups Vegetable stock
1 Cup Fresh basil rough chop
1 Tbl Fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried thyme)
1/4 Cup Heavy cream
Optional: 1 tsp sugar to balance acidity (if needed)
Optional: 1/4 tsp of baking soda to balance acidity
Optional: Cherry tomatoes to roast – cut in half
- Making the Cheese Croutons
2 Slices Sourdough bread
Olive oil
Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese
Gruyere cheese
Directions
- Roasting the Tomatoes / Vegetables
- Preheat oven to 425°
- Place roughly chopped Roma tomatoes (add cherry tomatoes to the sheet if used), 1/2 onion roughly chopped, and 4 smashed garlic cloves, on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 Tbl olive oil.
- Lightly sprinkle salt on the veggies. Let veggies sit for 10 minutes before roasting
- Roast veggies for 30 minutes or until soft and caramelized. Set aside. Save some of the roasted cherry tomatoes for garnish if you use them. Also, you may need to remove them from the oven before the other tomatoes, since they will cook quickly.
- Sauté Remaining Aromatics
- Add 1 Tbl olive oil to a soup pot/Dutch oven. Place the pot on the stove over medium heat. Add the remaining diced onion. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes until softened.
- Stir minced garlic, tomato paste, and fresh thyme into the pot. Cook for an additional 4 minutes until fragrant.
- Combine Remaining Ingredients
- Add the roasted tomato mixture with its juices to your pot and stir. Add San Marzano Tomatoes and juices into your pot.
- Add Vegetable stock and 1/2 of fresh basil to the pot. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Use your immersion blender and blend your soup ingredients until you achieve your desired texture. (If you do not have an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender. Be careful when transferring the soup back and forth from the pot to the blender and back. The soup will be hot!)
- Taste your soup. Salt and pepper to taste. If too acidic, add sugar or baking soda.
- Make Cheese Croutons
- Combine the grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and the grated gruyere cheese together into a small bowl. Set the bowl aside.
- Take two slices of sourdough bread. Drizzle some olive oil on both sides of the bread. Place the bread in a cast-iron pan over low to medium heat to lightly toast. Keep an eye on your bread. Don’t over toast!.
- Turn the broiler on in your oven. Top the toasted bread with the grated cheese mixture. Place the two slices onto a baking sheet. Place the tray into the oven to melt the cheese. The cheese will melt quickly, so keep a close eye on your bread.
- Remove the tray from the oven when the cheese has melted and is golden brown and bubbly. Cut the bread slices into bite-sized croutons. Set croutons aside
- Garnish – Optional
- Add some basil leaves to each bowl.
- Add a few roasted cherry tomatoes to each bowl.
- Add cheesy croutons to top off your bowl of Tomato Bisque.
- Enjoy!!
Notes
- In my list of optional ingredients, I mentioned using baking soda. Adding a small amount of baking soda can reduce the acidity of your tomato base. Do not overdo it. Too much will make your soup taste off and maybe a little soapy. Don’t worry if it foams up. That is normal. Give your soup a good stir, and you are good to go!
Did you make this recipe?
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