Rustic Tomato Soup with Cheesy Toasts

By brenie_shydee

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped carrot
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fennel bulb
• 1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 (26.46-ounce) box unsalted chopped tomatoes (such as Pomì), undrained
• 1 cup unsalted chicken stock
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 5/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 8 celery leaves
• 4 (1.5-ounce) slices diagonally cut whole-grain bread
• 3 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded (about 3/4 cup)

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat broiler to high.

2. Combine first 4 ingredients in a food processor; process until finely chopped. Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add vegetable mixture to pan; cook 5 minutes or until crisp-tender, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes to food processor; pulse until finely chopped. Add tomatoes, stock, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and salt to pan; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low; simmer 10 minutes. Stir in butter; sprinkle with celery leaves.

3. Place bread on a baking sheet. Broil 2 minutes. Turn bread slices over; sprinkle evenly with cheese. Broil 2 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.