Tomato Soup with Croissant Toast Points

Recipe Note

Recipe FAQ

What does the chipotle in adobo actually contribute to this soup?

A single chipotle pepper adds two things the other ingredients can't: smokiness and mild heat. The fire-roasted tomatoes provide sweetness and a light char note, but the chipotle deepens the smoky quality and adds a warm, earthy spice that makes the soup taste like it's been cooked over a real fire. The adobo sauce it comes packed in also contributes acidity and complexity. One pepper is enough for noticeable flavor without making the soup spicy — use half if you're sensitive to heat, or two if you want more kick.

Why use grated carrot instead of diced?

Grated carrot dissolves almost completely into the soup as it simmers, contributing natural sweetness and body without leaving visible chunks. Diced carrot takes longer to soften and can produce an inconsistent texture even after simmering. The grating step takes 30 seconds and meaningfully improves the final result — the carrot becomes invisible in the finished bowl while doing real work to round out the tomato acidity.

Should I blend this soup, and when?

The soup is intentionally left unblended in this recipe, giving it a rustic, slightly chunky texture with visible tomato pieces. If you prefer a smooth, velvety consistency, blend it with an immersion blender after adding the half-and-half — keep the blade fully submerged and move slowly to prevent splashing. A countertop blender works too; blend in batches with the lid held down and steam allowed to escape. Either version is good; blended reads more refined, unblended reads more rustic.

What's the best way to get the croissant toast points crispy without burning them?

Medium heat and patience. The croissant loaf has a high butter content that can go from golden to burnt quickly on a too-hot griddle. Use a thin coat of olive oil, press the slices down lightly for even contact, and watch them closely. Once the bottom is golden and the edges are crisp, flip, add the Havarti, and cover loosely to melt the cheese without adding more color to the bread. Quartering them after toasting rather than before keeps them intact for dipping.

Can I cook this Indoors?

We rate this a 4 out of 5 for cooking indoors. Great in the kitchen, better on the grill. The soup simmers perfectly in a Dutch oven on any stovetop burner, and the toast points come together in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. What you give up is the ambient heat character of cooking outdoors in cast iron and the subtle smokiness that the grill environment adds to the toast.

Recipe Highlights & Insights

• Using Bianco DiNapoli fire-roasted tomatoes rather than standard canned tomatoes is the ingredient choice that most distinguishes this soup from a basic recipe. The fire-roasting caramelizes the tomatoes before canning, concentrating their natural sweetness and adding a subtle char that carries through the whole bowl. In a soup this simple — where tomatoes are the primary flavor — the quality of the base ingredient matters more than in a complex braise or sauce.

• The Cattleman's Grill Lone Star Brisket Rub as a seasoning for a tomato soup is an unconventional but effective move. Its salt, pepper, and garlic profile seasons the aromatics as they cook and builds a savory backbone that most tomato soup recipes have to achieve with multiple individual seasonings. It also carries a subtle BBQ-adjacent depth that ties the outdoor cooking context to the flavor of the dish itself.

• This recipe is genuinely fast — prep is under 20 minutes, the soup simmers for about 20 minutes, and the toast comes together while the soup finishes. At 290 calories per 10 oz serving it's also one of the lighter comfort-food recipes on the ATBBQ site, which makes it strong content for healthy eating angles, fall weeknight meals, and anyone who wants impressive flavor with minimal active cook time.

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• Croissant Toast Points