Spicy Tomato Soup

I interrupt my cookie baking to profess my love for canned tomatoes. I constantly use canned tomatoes in the winter for stews, sauces and Italian gravy. But today I decided to use a can of Red Gold Tomatoes for a tangy tomato soup. Instead of having a boring grilled cheese sandwich for lunch, I spiced up my day with this soup and some grilled cheese croutons. Grilled cheese croutons may sound fancy but they are just a sandwich cut into little bites to top off the soup. This is the only time you will eat grilled cheese with a spoon.

I loved these tomatoes because they had a little kick to them with the green chilies mixed in. I couldn’t resist adding a dash of cayenne pepper because I like spicy. The size of this recipe was perfect for lunch and then there was a small bowl leftover for my daughter as an after school snack. Feel free to double or even triple the recipe. I used chicken broth but it is perfectly acceptable to use vegetable broth to make the soup vegetarian.This tomato soup is easy to make and will warm you up on a chilly day. Did you see how the croutons soak up the soup? You get the perfect bite of grilled cheese and tomato soup together. So good! Now back to wrapping presents and cookie baking!

1- (10 oz) can Red Gold Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies

1 tsp chopped garlic

6 oz chicken broth

1 tsp dried basil

a dash of cayenne pepper

1/4 cup half and half (I used the fat free kind)

salt to taste

In a small sauce pan on medium heat, mix together tomatoes, garlic, broth, basil and pepper. Bring to a boil and turn down heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes. Use an immersion blender to process the tomatoes until smooth. Add half and half and season with salt to taste. Serve with croutons, crackers, herbs or whatever you like to top off the soup. Makes 2 servings.