Roasted Tomato Soup with Broiled Cheddar

This is a delicious version of tomato soup, elevated by borrowing the idea of cheesy goodness from French Onion Soup. What I probably like best about this soup is the idea of roasting canned tomatoes for the soup. Most roasted tomato soup recipes call for fresh tomatoes, which are best in the summer. But, as Deb points out, a warm and hearty, satisfying tomato soup in not what most people are looking for in August, peak tomato season. Turns out, roasting canned San Marzanos is a great idea, and produces a really flavorful soup in the winter months when a hearty tomato soup hits the spot.

I followed the recipe pretty faithfully, with a few exceptions:

1. I used a sweet onion instead of shallots as I like the milder flavor of the onion better.
2. I threw in a bit of Aleppo pepper to add some mild spiciness.
3. Instead of cheddar, I used pepper jack, and was so glad I did. We REALLY liked this modification.
4. I used sour dough croutons instead of bread (which I didn't have on hand), and the substitution worked just fine as far my family was concerned.