Slow Cooker Sunday: Garlicky roasted tomato soup with cornbread croutons

You’ll love this classic soup with a twist any time of year. Add sweet and slightly crunchy croutons to top it, and you’ve got the makings for a great meal.

This Slow Cooker Sunday recipe for roasted tomato and garlic soup with jalapeño cornbread croutons is a favorite of mine. Roasting the tomatoes and garlic adds a slightly sweet flavor and golden caramelization to the mix. It only takes an extra step, and to me, it’s so worth it.

To make things as easy as possible, I used a prepackaged cornbread mix to make the croutons and added corn kernels (I used frozen, but you can use canned too — just be sure they’re drained) and diced jalapeños for a bit of extra flavor. I love this dish any time of year, but especially when the weather just starts to change.

Slow cooker roasted tomato and garlic soup with jalapeño cornbread croutons recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 1 hour 35 minutes | Total time: 1 hour 45 minutes

This classic soup gets a boost from roasting the tomatoes and garlic for a short time. Serve with a salad or your favorite vegetable for a more complete meal.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 4 large tomatoes, cut into quarters, then rough-chopped
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved
• 1 large head garlic, paper on
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2-1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Nonstick cooking spray
• Prepared packaged cornbread mix
• 2 teaspoons jalapeños, diced
• 1 cup corn kernels

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 baking pans with aluminum foil, and lightly spray with the nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Add the tomato pieces and garlic (leave the paper on the garlic) to 1 baking pan and the diced tomatoes to the second pan. Drizzle each with the olive oil, and bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until they begin to dry and caramelize slightly. Remove from the oven, and set aside.
3. Add the vegetable broth, tomato paste, salt and black pepper to the slow cooker set to high heat.
4. When cool to the touch, squeeze the garlic from its paper into the slow cooker. Transfer the tomatoes to the slow cooker, and use a stick blender to blend until they’re smooth. If you don’t have a stick blender, you can transfer all the ingredients from the slow cooker to a standard blender and blend until smooth. Transfer back to the slow cooker.
5. Cook on high heat for 1 hour. While the soup is cooking, prepare the cornbread mixture. Add the jalapeño and corn kernels to the batter, and bake according to the package directions.
6. Remove, and allow to cool. Cut several pieces of the cornbread into 2-inch cubes. Add to a baking pan lined with foil and lightly sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Place under the broiler for a minute or less or until lightly golden. Remove, and let cool.
7. Serve the soup in individual bowls, topped with the croutons.

More slow cooker recipes

Beer-braised beef tacos
Peanutty Thai chicken with white rice
Carrot, parsnip and potato chowder with Parmesan crisps