Creamy Roasted Sweet Potato and Tomato Soup Paired with Pesto Grilled Cheese Bites

Info

• Cook time: 1 hour 10 minutes
• From start to finish: 1 hour 40 minutes
• Yield: 4 to 6

Ingredients

• 1 medium sweet potato
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
• 1 rib celery, roughly chopped
• 1 sweet onion, roughly chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• One 14.5-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4 cups unsalted vegetable broth, plus more if needed
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Micro basil, for garnish
• Pesto Grilled Cheese Croutons (recipe below)

Pesto Grilled Cheese Croutons

• 2 cups packed fresh basil
• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• Pinch kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Eight 1/2-inch slices bread, cut from a loaf of pain de mie
• 4 slices sharp or extra-sharp aged Cheddar, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise

Instructions

1. Set the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Put the sweet potato on a baking sheet and roast it until tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Let it cool, then remove the peel.
3. While that roasts, warm a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in the olive oil and let it get just hot. Add the carrots, celery, onion and salt. Cook, stirring now and then, until the onions are just translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme and bay leaf and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are deeply browned, 5 to 7 minutes.
4. Add the tomatoes along with their juices and the cayenne, then pour in the broth. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to keep a steady simmer and cook until the carrots are tender, about 15 minutes. Fish out and discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Add the roasted sweet potato.
5. Blend the soup until completely smooth. Pour it back into the skillet and warm over low heat. Stir in the cream. If you prefer a thinner soup, add more broth. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then serve hot with the micro basil and the croutons.
6. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the basil, garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan, lemon zest and salt. Pulse until you have a chunky paste, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl from time to time. With the processor running, drizzle in the olive oil in a steady stream. Continue until the pesto reaches the texture you want; pulse less for a coarse pesto and more for a smooth one. Taste and season.
7. For the sandwiches: spread some pesto on one side of 2 slices of bread. Lay a slice of Cheddar over the pesto on 1 slice, then top with the other slice, pesto-side down. Repeat with the remaining pesto, bread and Cheddar.
8. Stir the butter and mayo together in a small bowl. Coat both sides of each sandwich with a generous layer.
9. Set a sandwich in a nonstick skillet and turn the heat to medium-low. Cook, flipping occasionally, until the bread is golden and toasty, the cheese has melted and the sandwich is hot all the way through. Repeat with the rest. Cut into croutons.