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The Lent season has arrived. It’s one of my favorite seasons of the year because it’s a time to reflect spiritually awaiting the arrival of Easter. I like to reminisce and think back of the times I spent in the kitchen with my mother during Lent. I learned so much from her. She taught me how to make the season’s essentials: potato and tuna patties, lentils, shrimp cocktail and tomato soup accompanied by crunchy croutons.
Times haven’t changed and we still get together and revisit those traditional recipes we enjoyed making a long time ago.
Now that I’m an avid cook, I still like to recreate those tasty Lent recipes for my family. One of my favorites to make year-round is this simple tomato soup recipe. I’ve given it my own spicy twist in my 40 Days of Flavor by incorporating Clamato Picante and a jalapeño round garnish when serving it as a party appetizer. For a kid-friendly version, use regular Clamato and omit the jalapeño.
Because a warm tomato soup just isn’t the same without a gooey grilled cheese sandwich, I added small crouton-like, bite-size grilled cheese sandwich pieces. If you’re serving this delicious dish as a main meal, keep the sandwiches whole and enjoy this soup in a bowl or cup. You will love how the creamy cheddar cheese in the sandwich tames the spicy kick of this savory soup. It’s a perfectly flavor-balanced meal that your entire family will love year-round.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
- ½ cup yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 1 (28-ounce) can whole plum peeled tomatoes, undrained
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- ¼ teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried crushed basil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- ½ cup Clamato Picante
- ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 jalapeño, sliced
- 4 slices white bread
- 1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
- ? cup cheddar cheese, grated
Instructions
- Heat grapeseed oil in a 5-quart stockpot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute for 7 minutes or until onion is translucent.
- Add tomatoes with liquid, vegetable stock, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, COVER and let simmer for 20 minutes.
- Transfer soup to a blender container, add Clamato and blend until smooth. Return blended soup to stock pot and stir in sugar. Heat for 5 minutes stirring frequently.
- Preheat skillet over medium heat. butter one side of bread slice. Place bread butter-side-down onto skillet and sprinkle with half the cheese. Butter a second bread slice on one side and place butter-side-up on top of sprinkled cheese. Grill until browned and flip over; continue grilling until cheese is melted. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Slice sandwiches in small bite-size pieces.
- Pour soup in serving bowls or shot glasses if serving as an appetizer. Garnish with jalapeño slices. Serve with grilled cheese sandwich croutons.
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