Lunchtime Special: Bloody Mary Spinach Soup w/ Grilled Cheese Croutons
To be honest with you, there really isn’t a story behind this recipe. Last Saturday I had plans for brunch, but moving out of the house was not going to happen with the shape that I was in. Finally making it to my kitchen Sunday evening, I needed something that would sit well in my stomach and not make me regret deciding to move. I remembered coming across the Bloody Mary Soup with Pumpernickel Grilled Cheese Croutons by Rachael Ray the week prior—this would be as good of a time as any to try it out. You’re supposed to enjoy a bloody mary while hungover, right? And enjoy, I did...minus the alcohol of course! The soup did the trick. I suggest eating the soup after a couple of days once all the spices have mixed.
Money Matters
To make the full meal cost me about $35 due to my fancy taste in low grade bourbon. Regardless, this meal comes out to about $5.83/serving. That price isn’t bad for such a hearty lunch...maybe kick in a couple of more dollars for a side salad, if you need it.
#ROGUElyfe
- I added spinach for the sake of having another veggie in the soup. I am not the biggest fan of the aggressive flavor of celery, so I swapped it out.
- I wanted a smokier feel to the soup, so I used bourbon instead of vodka...I make no apologies for this delicious take!
- I mixed the butter and the extra buffalo sauce to grill the sandwiches. It added an extra tang to the mix.
- I honestly forgot to pick up parsley, so I used the cilantro I had on hand.
My Take
2 tablespoons EVOO
2 tablespoons dried thyme
1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 ½ cup of baby spinach
2 onions, chopped
Celery salt
Coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 cup bourbon
2 cups spicy tomato juice, such as Spicy Hot V-8 juice
2 cups beef stock
1/4 cup prepared horseradish
1/4 cup buffalo sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
28oz can fire roasted tomatoes
2 tbsp Softened butter
8 slices pumpernickel bread
½ cup of cheddar cheese
½ cup of parmesan cheese
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
Directions
In the mist of cooking, I felt the recipe needed a some greenery...true "ROGUEmove
Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large Dutch oven or soup pot. Add the thyme, lemon zest, garlic, spinach and onions. Season the vegetables with the celery salt and black pepper.
Cook the vegetables to tender, then deglaze with the bourbon.
Add the spicy tomato juice, stock, horseradish, buffalo sauce, Worcestershire and canned tomatoes. Bring the soup to a boil and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer to thicken and combine flavors, about 30 minutes.
Add the soup to a blender or food processor, and pulse to your desired level of smoothness.
Butter 8 slices of the bread on one side. Build the sandwiches with the cheese, buttered sides facing out. Griddle or grill the sandwiches over medium heat until deeply crispy and the cheese melts. Using a serrated knife, cut each sandwich into nine 1-inch croutons. Stir the lemon juice into the hot soup just before serving.
Ladle the soup into shallow bowls, then sprinkle with the cilantro and top with the croutons.
Happy Cooking Y’all :)