omatoes are coming in season! I absolutely adore summer tomatoes. They are juicy, ripe, plump and there are so many varieties that are available: heirloom (my fav), roma, beefsteak, plum, cherry, grape – I could go on and on.

One of our guilty pleasures is freshly made creamy tomato soup with grilled cheese. I like to healthify it by making my grilled cheese on sprouted wheat bread, using olive oil spray instead of butter, and using a secret ingredient instead of cream for the tomato soup.

My lighter tomato soup was inspired by a recipe from CookingLight. I roast the tomatoes and add in garlic to bring out a deep, savory flavor, combine it with some cooked brown rice (my secret ingredient instead of cream!) to make it creamy, and I use an immersion blender to blend the soup right there in the pot.

The result was the perfect creamy tomato soup: even better than the kind you’d get at your favorite diner with a grilled cheese sandwich. I topped it with a dollop of Greek yogurt (instead of creme fraiche) and some chives for a bit of bright colour. The husband loved it!

The Ingredients

(Adapted from CookingLight )

10oz carton of cherry or grape tomatoes (or 10oz of any tomato you like!)

8 garlic cloves

Cooking spray

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

3/4 cup cooked long-grain brown rice

2 cups low sodium vegetable stock

1 15oz can unsalted fire-roasted diced tomatoes

undrained 3/8 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp minced fresh chives (optional)

The Directions

Step 1:  Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut your tomatoes in half and arrange on a baking sheet: coat with cooking spray, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Bake at 400° for 50 minutes or until tomatoes are lightly charred. Reserve juices.

Step 2:  Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add roasted tomatoes, garlic, rice, vegetable stock, fire roasted diced tomatoes, salt, and pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

This was the absolute perfect light spring dinner. And it’s super kid friendly too! I served it up with grilled cheese sandwiches (pepperjack cheese slices on sprouted wheat bread) and a spinach salad on the side. It was delish 🙂