File under: Valentine’s Day Entrees That Won’t Leave You Too Full For Sex*
I know, I know. Next Tuesday is Valentine’s Day and everyone is all, “LOOK AT THESE FROSTED PINK COOKIES AND RED VELVET WHOOPIE PIES.” And I get it, it’s the sugar addict’s dream holiday. But, what if you want something totally different this year? What if, instead of a big steak dinner and decadent chocolate torte dessert that leaves you scrambling to unbutton your pants and collapse on the ground, you want something lighter? Something still rich in flavor and high in fun, but lower in calories, higher in nutrients, and guaranteed not to leave you too full for naughty Valentine’s Day shenanigans.
Well, if that’s the recipe you’re looking for, you’ve come to the right place, darling.
Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup with Heart-Shaped Grilled Cheese Croutons
{adapted from recipes by Tyler Florence & Smitten Kitchen}
Ingredients
2 1/2 lbs fresh tomatoes, (any kind – heirlooms, cherry, vine, plum, etc. – or a mixture)
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 sweet onion, sliced
2 12-oz jars roasted red peppers, drained & roughly chopped (yes, you can roast your own red peppers, but I’m fucking lazy and the ones in the jar at Trader Joe’s are delicious, so like, leave me alone, okay??)
2 cups stock (chicken or vegetable, preferably low-sodium)
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1/4 tsp ground cumin
salt & pepper, to taste
(Oh yeah, and you’ll need your grilled cheese fixins, which really just means your favorite bread, cheese & butter. Of course, you can add other things to your grilled cheese too (LIKE BACON!!), which I totally and completely support.)
First, preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Then, wash, core, and cut the tomatoes into quarters. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray, arrange the tomatoes, garlic cloves, and onion slices in an even layer on the baking sheet, and lightly cover them with another quick coat of cooking spray. If you want to toss them in olive oil instead, that’s absolutely fine and will add some good healthy fat to the recipe, but if you’d rather go the lower calorie route, cooking spray will do the trick. Finally, sprinkle everything on the baking sheet with sea salt & freshly cracked pepper, and put it into the oven to roast for 25 minutes.
After roasting, remove the baking sheet from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes. Then, transfer the tomatoes, onions, and garlic to a large stockpot, add the chopped red peppers, stock, basil, and cumin, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 20 minutes, remove the pot from the heat, let the soup cool for a few minutes, and then puree using an immersion blender or food processor. (PS – I got my first immersion blender as a holiday gift last year, and bahhhh, I now want to puree the shit out of everything because it’s just so FUN.)
But, ahem. Back to our soup…
Once the soup is completely smooth, add salt & pepper to taste, and then leave it out to come to room temperature. When it gets to room temperature, you’ll want to cover the soup and put it in the fridge overnight to let the flavors really come together. You can serve it right away, of course, but it won’t be as good. This is definitely Second Day Soup (or even third/fourth day soup!), and the change in flavor that happens once all of the ingredients have had a chance to really cozy up to each other overnight is definitely worth the wait.
When you are ready to serve the soup, heat it gently on the stove, stirring frequently, and then top with grilled cheese sandwich croutons right before serving. There’s no secret for the croutons, honestly, and whichever kind of bread/cheese you want to use is perfectly fine. If you’re making this for Valentine’s Day, just grab a heart-shaped cookie cutter for the finished grilled cheese sandwich, and carefully place the heart sandwiches in the soup just before bringing it to the table.
And then, of course, if you’re making this for any occasion other than Valentine’s Day, I totally recommend Ninja Cookie Cutters
YOU’RE WELCOME
*You also won’t be too full for repetitive masturbation, if that’s your Valentine’s Day activity of choice instead. Hey, don’t look at me like that, I’m an equal opportunity Valentine-er over here.
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