Parmesan Croutons For Soup Recipes

PARMESAN CROUTONS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl toss the bread cubes with the olive oil, Parmesan, garlic, and salt and pepper.
• Spread the croutons on the baking sheet, leaving some space between them. Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes, until the outside in lightly browned and crisp. The middle should still be a bit soft. Remove them from the pan and cool.

GARLIC-PARMESAN CROUTONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Mix butter, Parmesan cheese, oregano, thyme, garlic powder, and salt together in a large, flat-bottomed bowl; add bread cubes and turn with a spatula to coat. Spread coated bread cubes onto a baking sheet.
• Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool croutons completely before storing in an airtight container.

BUTTERNUT SOUP WITH PARMESAN CROUTONS

Steps:

• Place squash in a 15x10x1-in. baking pan lightly coated with cooking spray. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil; sprinkle with pepper. Toss to coat. Bake, uncovered, at 425° for 30-35 minutes or until tender, stirring every 15 minutes. Set aside., In a Dutch oven, saute the onion, celery and sage in remaining oil until tender. Stir in the broth and squash. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Cool slightly., In a blender, puree soup in batches until smooth. Return to the pan; heat through., For croutons, in a small bowl, combine the cheese, oil, sage and garlic. Add bread cubes and spritz with cooking spray; toss to coat. Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray., Bake at 425° for 5-8 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle each serving of soup with croutons and additional cheese if desired.

THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA'S PARMESAN CROUTONS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Slice baguette diagonally into 1/4 inch thick slices. Depending on the size of the baguette, you should get about 20 to 25 slices.
• Lay the slices in one layer on a baking sheet and brush each with olive oil and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. You can use either plain or flavored olive oil such as basil or garlic. The measurements for the salt and pepper in the ingredients are just estimates and you use whatever amount suits you. Sprinkle with the grated parmesan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until they are browned and crisp. Serve at room temperature.

TOMATO SOUP WITH PARMESAN CROUTONS

Steps:

• For the soup: In a large pot, heat the butter and oil over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, garlic and onions and stir and cook for 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes, broth, parsley and 1 cup water and stir. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover the pot and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Use an immersion blender to puree the mixture, still leaving some texture to the tomatoes. Add the cream, basil and some salt and pepper, and simmer for another 5 minutes.
• For the croutons: Drizzle the baguette rounds lightly with olive oil. Place little piles of Parmesan in a nonstick skillet. Place a baguette round on top of each pile. Turn on the heat to medium. Press with a spatula as you melt the cheese into each round. When set, flip to the other side to toast.
• Serve the soup with 1 or 2 croutons on top.

CHEF JOHN'S HOMEMADE CROUTONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat.
• Stir olive oil and garlic together in a bowl. Let sit at room temperature until flavors are infused, about 3 hours.
• Place bread cubes in a large bowl. Pour garlic oil through a strainer onto the bread; toss to coat bread with oil. Add 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, Italian seasoning, paprika, black pepper, salt, and cayenne pepper; toss to coat. Spread bread cubes out in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Turn croutons and bake 15 minutes more. Push croutons together with a spatula so that they are in a compact rectangle on the baking sheet and no longer spread out; sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup cheese over the top. Bake until cheese is melted and the bread is crispy and crunchy, 10 to 15 minutes more.

HERBED GARLIC AND PARMESAN CROUTONS

Steps:

• In a small saucepan combine the garlic, the oregano, the basil, the thyme, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, the pepper, and the oil and simmer the mixture for 5 minutes, and discard the garlic. In a bowl toss the bread cubes with the oil mixture, spread them in a jelly-roll pan, and bake them in ht e middle of a preheated 350°F oven for 8 minutes. Sprinkle the croutons with the Parmesan and bake them for 7 minutes more, or until they are golden. Sprinkle the croutons with the additional salt and let them cool. The croutons keep in an airtight container for 1 week. Serve the croutons as a topping for tossed green salad.

ROASTED TOMATO SOUP WITH PARMESAN CROUTONS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Measure out 2 tablespoons of the reserved tomato juice and olive oil mixture from the Meal Prep Roasted Tomatoes. Place the bread on a rimmed baking sheet along with the leaves from 1 sprig of the reserved roasted rosemary and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Sprinkle with the reserved tomato-oil mixture and toss. Spread the bread out evenly and bake until brown and crispy, about 10 minutes. Immediately toss with the Parmesan; the residual heat will melt the Parmesan to the croutons. Set aside.
• While the croutons bake, remove and reserve the roasted garlic and remaining rosemary sprigs from the roasted tomatoes. Add the tomatoes with the remaining tomato juice and olive oil mixture to a blender with the leaves from the reserved rosemary sprigs. Set aside.
• Set a medium saucepan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Mince the reserved garlic. When the oil is hot, add the shallots and garlic and saute until the shallots soften and just begin to brown, 2 to 3 minutes; season with a pinch of salt. Transfer the mixture to the blender and blend on high speed until smooth.
• Pour the tomato mixture back into the saucepan and stir in the stock. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat. Simmer until heated through, 8 to 10 minutes. Season the soup with 2 teaspoons salt. Stir in the cream, reduce the heat to medium-low and gently simmer 3 to 4 minutes. Turn off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and add more salt to taste. At this point, you can cool the soup completely and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or freeze for 2 to 3 months.
• When ready to serve, ladle the hot soup into bowls and top with the croutons, pepper and torn basil leaves.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Toss together the tomatoes, olive oil, rosemary sprigs, garlic, 1 tablespoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl until everything is evenly coated. Divide between 2 rimmed baking sheets and bake until the garlic begins to brown and the tomatoes just begin to burst, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely.
• Transfer the tomatoes, garlic, rosemary sprigs and tomato juice-olive oil mixture to an airtight container and refrigerate up to 4 days. Use these tomatoes to make soup, serve with eggs for breakfast, add to sandwiches or make into a pasta sauce for dinner.