Presentation is everything and social media often nails it when it comes to looks, but the recipes aren’t always tested or complete. Here, I share my version of a viral online sensation that turned a cheesy bread bowl into much more. This is perfect for any season because Roma tomatoes are dependable and firm all year.
Feel free to use your favourite melting cheese and even your own dip; a pesto dip would be fun here. You’ll get plenty of likes (both on social and in real life) as long as it looks and tastes good!
Looking for more new recipes to try this fall? This spicy and smooth Jalapeno Popper Potato Soup is perfect for game days or chilly nights and will go great with this cheesy bread bowl.
Tune into new episodes of The Kitchen on Saturdays at 11 AM as part of the In The Kitchen combo on Food Network Canada. Stream Live or On-Demand with STACKTV. Try it free today!
ingredients
Hot Roasted Tomato and Peppers Soup
Cheesy Bread Bowl
directions
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with nonstick aluminum foil.
In a large bowl, add the tomatoes, bell peppers and garlic. Drizzle with the olive oil and toss to coat. Place everything on the baking sheet, arranging the bell pepper halves skin side up, covering the garlic. Sprinkle with salt and a few grinds of pepper. Roast until the tomatoes shrivel and the bell peppers are charred, about 25 minutes.
Remove everything to a blender and add the basil and oregano. Blend until smooth, then add a splash of red wine vinegar. Blend again and season with salt and pepper. If needed, reduce in a pot over medium heat. Keep warm.
For the bread, lower the oven to 375ºF.
Use a serrated knife to cut out a square the size of a cheese slice in the top center of the bread, making sure not to go all the way to the base and leaving about half an inch at the bottom. Remove the bread from the square to create a bowl. Tear or cut the removed bread into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
Starting an inch around from the square bowl, make vertical slices parallel to the frame of the bowl through the top of the bread without going all the way through to the base.
Then, make vertical cuts 90 degrees from the first cuts to create square portions (that end up as planks) if pulled away from the bowl.
Place the cheese slices between the sections and place two slices in the bottom of the bread bowl. Use all but two tablespoons of the garlic butter to brush inside the bowl and over the top of the bread. Then, use the rest to toss with the reserved bread bites.
Lastly, use a base of nonstick aluminum foil to frame the base of the bread to keep the bread together, if needed.
Place the bread bowl and croutons on the lined baking sheet and bake until the bread is golden brown (approximately 15 to 20 minutes).
Remove and pour the soup into the bowl.
Serve with the croutons, and pull apart the cheesy bread from the sides of the bowl to use in the soup.