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Tomato Soup With Cheese & Bacon Toasts

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Servings: 6

Ingredients

For Tomato Soup

  • 2 bell peppers (red, yellow or orange)
  • 5 roma tomatoes
  • 2 medium tomatoes
  • 1 small yellow onion, sliced
  • ⅓ cup olive oil, divided
  • 1 tbsp dried oregano
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 tbsp ground smoked paprika
  • 2 tbsp heavy cream or half and half
  • salt to taste

For Blistered Mini Tomatoes with Thyme (optional)

  • 1 cup whole mini tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • salt to taste

Bacon & Cheese Toasts

  • 6 slices sturdy quality bread, sliced about ½ inch thick
  • 2 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1 cup mozzarella, provolone or Comté, grated
  • 1 cup english cheddar, grated
  • 3 ounces bacon, excess fat trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1-2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

Instructions

Tomato Soup

  • Set the oven to broil. Place the whole bell peppers and tomatoes on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and turn to coat. Broil, turning the vegetables every 5 minutes, until their skins are charred.
  • After about 10 minutes, remove the tomatoes from the oven and set aside to cool. Continue broiling the bell peppers for another 10–15 minutes, or until softened and charred. Remove from the oven and let cool.
  • Once cool enough to handle, remove the stems, skins, and seeds from the bell peppers. Cut the peppers into roughly 3-inch pieces. Remove the cores from the tomatoes and cut them into roughly 2-inch pieces.
  • Heat a medium soup pot over medium heat and add the remaining olive oil. Add the sliced onions and sauté until softened. Stir in the dried oregano.
  • Add the roasted peppers and tomatoes, stirring to combine with the onions. Pour in the water, cover, and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Carefully transfer the mixture to a blender and puree until smooth. You can also use an immersion blender directly in the pot.
  • Return the pureed soup to the pot. Stir in the smoked paprika, salt, and heavy cream or half-and-half. Cover and simmer over low heat for another 15 minutes.

Blistered Mini Tomatoes with Thyme (Optional)

  • While the soup is simmering, heat a small cast-iron skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the mini tomatoes, fresh thyme, and salt. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side, turning until the tomatoes are blistered and lightly charred.
  • Turn off the heat and set aside. Garnish each bowl of soup with 2–3 blistered tomatoes and a sprig of thyme.

Cheese & Bacon Toasts

  • Heat a small skillet over medium heat and cook the bacon pieces until golden brown and crispy. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain the excess fat. Set aside.
  • Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Spread mayonnaise on one side of each bread slice and place the slices mayonnaise-side down in the skillet.
  • Sprinkle the smoked mozzarella and English cheddar over each slice, then add the cooked bacon pieces. Cook until the cheese has completely melted and the bottom of the bread is golden and crisp. Transfer to a plate and sprinkle with fresh parsley, if desired. Serve immediately with the tomato soup.