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Close up of Tomato Soup Gratinee with cheesy croutons in a french onion soup bowl sitting on the table.

Tomato Soup au Gratin

What happens when you take a bowl of rustic tomato soup and top it with the classic grilled cheese sandwich, but as croutons and shredded cheese? You get the best version of this soup yet. Taking the method of a classic French Onion Soup and translating it into this North American classic creates a new cozy meal, perfect as lunch or dinner.
Course Soup
Cuisine North American
Keyword au gratin, tomato soup
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 1 kg 2 1/2 lb Roma or plum tomatoes
  • 1 medium Yellow onion, roughly chopped
  • 4 cloves Garlic peeled
  • 2 sprigs Rosemary
  • 4 tbsp Olive oil
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1/2 tsp Black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper, or red chilli flakes
  • 3-4 cups Chicken or vegetable stock
  • 2 tbsp Tomato paste
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 tbsp butter or olive oil
  • 1/2 cup cottage cheese, see Notes
  • 4 or more large slices of sourdough bread, thickly cut, crusts trimmed off
  • 1-2 tbsp Olive oil
  • 1-2 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 3-4 cups freshly shredded Marble Cheddar cheese and melting Mozzarella, see Notes
  • Thyme sprigs for garnish

Instructions

Tomato Soup

  1. Preheat the oven to 450F

  2. Quarter the tomatoes and spread them out on a baking sheet. Scatter the onions, garlic, and rosemary around the tomatoes. Drizzle with 4 tbsp olive oil and toss to combine. Arrange in a single layer (use two baking sheets if necessary) Sprinkle with salt, pepper and chili Aleppo pepper or chili flakes. Roast until wonderfully caramelized, about 40 minutes.

  3. Transfer the roasted vegetables to a stock pot. Add 3 cups of stock, the tomato paste, bay leaves and butter or oil. Heat over medium high heat till a rolling simmer begins. Drop the heat to medium low, and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.
  4. Discard the bay leaves and rosemary stocks. Carefully transfer the contents to a stand blender (blend in batches if necessary (with a towel covering the lid) and blend till velvety smooth. If you are using the cottage cheese, add it to the blender at the same time. You can also use an immersion blender, just take the pot off the heat first. If using heavy cream or creme fraiche, add it after the soup is blended. Add a bit more stock if you find it on the thick side. Taste and re-season as desired. Keep the soup warm on low temperature till ready to assemble.

Topping

  1. Cut or tear the bread into bite sized pieces. Warm the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Working in batches if needed, add the torn bread as well as the Italian seasoning. Toss everything in the oil to coat the bread, and sauté until golden with crispy edges, but not hard. Remove the croutons to a bowl till ready to assemble.

Assemble

  1. Place oven-proof soup bowls onto a baking sheet for easy transfer. Fill the bowls with the warm soup. Top with croutons. Then layer the shredded cheeses over the croutons. The more the better!
  2. Place the baking sheet under the broiler and broil until the cheeses are bubbling and golden brown. Finish with thyme leaves.

Recipe Notes

Feel free to replace the cottage cheese with heavy cream or creme fraiche. I like using cottage cheese for the extra protein, and you really don't taste it!
I suggest marble cheddar cheeses and mozzarella, to mimic a classic grilled cheese flavour. Use your favourite cheeses. Just make sure they melt easily.