Simple Provençal Tomato Soup with Goat Cheese Tartines
This Simple Provençal Tomato Soup with Goat Cheese Tartines is a family favorite and gives a South of France spin to the American Classic. Adding basil pesto (or fresh basil if it is in season) to the soup at the last minute brings a brightness to the dish that harkens Provence. Paired with a thick slice of garlicky grilled baguette, slathered with creamy, tangy goat cheese and you have the perfect morsel to dunk, over and over again.
- Prep time
- 5 min
- Cook time
- 25 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 cloves chopped garlic
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme (or one teaspoon dried thyme)
- 4 cups chicken stock ( or vegetable for a vegetarian version of the soup)
- 1 can of crushed tomatoes (28 oz)
- 2 medium sized carrots, chopped
- 2 teaspoons French Salt & 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 cup of heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons of Pesto
- 8 thick slices of French Baguette (or any crusty bread that you have on hand - if it is sandwich loaf use 4 slices)
- 3 cloves of garlic, split length-wise
- 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 4 oz soft goat cheese
Instructions
- 1
Heat the olive oil over medium heat
- 2
Add the onions, garlic and thyme. Let cook for 5 minutes until onions are translucent. Stir in the chicken stock (0r vegetable stock), tomatoes, carrots, salt & pepper. Bring the soup to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for for 15 minutes.
- 3
Turn off the heat. Remove the sprigs of thyme (if you used fresh thyme) and discard. Add the cream and pesto. Mix with an immersion blender. Serve.
- 4
While the soup is simmering on the stove, slice a Baguette into 8, 3/4 inch slices.
- 5
Rub each slice, back and front, with the halved garlic cloves.
- 6
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the used garlic cloves and bread slices to the warm oil. Let the slices get golden brown (about 2-3 minutes) then drizzle the remaining olive oil over the bread and flip over to brown the other side (another 2-3 minutes). Your kitchen should smell amazing now!
- 7
Remove the bread from the pan and allow to cool a few minutes while you finish the soup.
- 8
Slather each slice with goat cheese and serve. The tartines are perfect for dunking in the soup!