Well hello there! Surprised to see me?
It’s pretty obvious that I’ve been taking a bit of a break from the blog recently. To be honest, it’s been lovely to follow other people’s recipes, only cook at mealtimes, and keep my camera hidden out of site. I think my break will continue for a little while, but I couldn’t keep myself from popping in to share this soup recipe with you.
Soup has been the name of the game in our household recently. It’s that dark, chilly time of year, and I love making a big pot of soup on Sundays to eat as leftovers for lunch during the week. It’s healthy, comforting, and warms me up from tip to toe. And as soon as I add some sort of bread product, Nate’s all about it, too.
This Thanksgiving I experimented with cornbread stuffing (taking a walk on the wild side, I know), and had a bit of cornbread leftover. Croutons were one of the simplest ideas I found for using up the leftovers. I paired the croutons with this smooth, herby soup to get a nice contrast between sweet and savory and silky and crunchy. The croutons would be great with any smooth, creamy soup, really – I’m thinking sweet potato or butternut squash would be divine!
Maybe I shouldn’t tell you this, but Nate told me this combination reminds him (in the best way possible, he assured me!) of Pizza Hut pizza. I can see what he means – the cheesy cornbread croutons are almost like a very sweet pizza crust, and the tomato soup is tomato-y enough that it’s almost like drinking sauce. It might sound weird, but trust me – it works! Your taste buds will love it, and your body will thank you for eating soup and not Pizza Hut.
I’m going to post the last round of wedding pictures soon. In the meantime, cozy up with a bowl of this soup! Enjoy!
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 28-oz cans crushed tomatoes (low sodium)
- 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes (I used dried, but packed in oil works, too)
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp cajun seasoning
- 1 Tbsp each chopped fresh thyme, rosemary, and sage
- 2 cups vegetable broth (low sodium)
- 2 cups plain almond milk
- salt and pepper to taste
- 6 cups cubed day-old cornbread
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2-3 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese
- 1-2 tsp black pepper
- Warm the oil in a large pot. Saute onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute another minute.
- Add the canned tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, tomato paste, cajun spice, herbs, and broth. Increase heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in almond milk. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- While the soup simmers, preheat oven to 400. Toss the cubed cornbread with olive oil, parmesan, and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and toast until golden brown. Remove and allow to cool completely.
- Serve soup with croutons on the side. To keep the croutons from getting soggy, add a handful to your bowl just before you dig in. Enjoy!
Good for you for taking a break! I’m stoked that you came back to share this though because those crunchy croutons atop that gorg soup sounds DEEE-VINE! Enjoy the time off, dear!
I can never get enough tomato soup! And I kind of love that it tastes like pizza – sprinkle a little mozzarella on top for a healthier way to squash a pizza hut craving, apparently!
As much as I’ve missed you, I completely understand the need to take a break. I’m sure it feels great to actually relax with your free time and just cook to eat. Sigh. Now you’re tempting me to take one too. ;)
It’s funny that you describe this as tasting similar to Pizza Hut because I know exactly what you mean, haha! I haven’t eaten it in years because of awful it is but a healthier version of those flavors in a warm soup sounds like heaven!
Great for you to take a break. And thanks for popping by to share this soup. It’s lovely.
Pizza Hut pizza in healthy soup form!? Sign me up!! Sometimes we need to take a breather from the ol’ blog. Especially when we loose daylight hours in the winter and just want to snuggle on the couch once it gets dark. I say enjoy your time away. We’re always here for ya!
P.S. Your photos are gorgeous! And I’m super impressed because I can’t seem to get any red food to turn out presentable. Don’t know what it is. Beautiful, lady!
Thank you dear! I decided that black was the only way to go with red food because I have major struggles with it, too. Now to get some more black backgrounds…
I love this. I love tomato soup, Plus the corn croutons… uhm!!!!
I’ve never had cornbread croutons before! The picture makes the picture pop off the page! :)
*Makes the soup! :) hah
Where are you cute Erica ? Come back in the blog world :)