Tuscan Tomato Soup with Creole Croutons

The Road to Mother's Day Part III!

Day 3 people, of The Road to Mother's Day!  We already created a Goat Cheese Steak Salad with a Tangelo Vinaigrette and Pan Grilled Chipotle Steak and Eggs. Today I decided as a mom, I wanted some nice hearty soup.  I love soup and their is nothing better than a nice tomato soup.

I received a wonderful cookbook from my friends at The Daily Meal.  Recipes From My Mother's Kitchen by Guy Grossi is an excellent cookbook.

I received this cookbook about a week ago and have already read it about 10 times. Did I mention I love cookbooks and treat them like novels.

This Tuscan Tomato Soup is simple and classic. I chopped up some fresh veggies and sauteed them in olive oil and a little butter. Put in a little tomato paste, crushed tomatoes and chicken broth and allowed the soup to cook for about 30 minutes.

The soup can then be pureed or left chunky. I then added a little heavy cream because I love the extra creamy flavor it brings to the tomatoes. 

Look at how pretty it turned out! It's time to make the creole croutons which are so simple. Take a baguette, chop into 1 inch pieces, toss in olive oil, creole seasonings and a little pepper.

Bake until golden brown and top your soup with them.

This soup is delicious. I took some croutons and put it in the bottom of the bowl and topped it with soup. I then put more croutons on top. It was like eating little pockets of joy.

 

Oh, don't forget the grated Parmesan cheese and green onions. I also added goat cheese because I like it and it's Mother's Day, I get to eat whatever I want. 

Tuscan Tomato Soup with Creole Croutons
adapted from Recipes From My Mother's Kitchen


Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Serving: 4

Ingredients:

1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
3 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon creole seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper   
1 c. chicken broth, low sodium
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 white onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley 
1 Serrano pepper, seeded, chopped, optional 
extra virgin olive oil
butter
Toppings:
green onions, Parmesan cheese, goat cheese 
creole croutons (recipe below) 
 
For the Creole Croutons:
1 baguette loaf cut into 1 inch pieces.
olive oil
1 teaspoon creole seasonings
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
   
Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees.
   
To prepare the creole croutons, cut loaf into 1 inch chunks, place bread onto a baking sheet,  pour a couple of tablespoons of olive oil over bread, sprinkle seasonings and mix well. Bake for about 12 minutes are until golden brown.

Mix seasoning blend and set aside.  Chop vegetables and set aside. In a large stock pot add 2 tablespoonful of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Add vegetables and saute for a few minutes. Add tomato paste and saute for a few minutes. 

Add seasonings and mix well. Add crushed tomatoes and broth, mix well. Reduce heat to medium low and cook soup uncovered for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more broth if needed to thin soup. 

Remove soup from heat allow to cool for about 10 minutes, soup can be pureed at this time or left chunky. Stir in heavy  cream. 

Serve topped with cheese and creole croutons.