Tomato Garlic Soup with Parmesan Croutons

I've been cooking soups every Sunday night through the fall. Some have been great, and some have been... different. This was one of them.

INGREDIENTS

4 large tomatoes, cored (about 2 1/2 pounds)
2 quarts water
2 quarts ice water
1 1/4 cups uncooked seashell pasta
4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
3/4 cup finely chopped red onion
8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 cup water
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
2 (14-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 (1/2-ounce) slices diagonally cut French bread baguette (about 1 inch thick)
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
Fresh thyme sprigs (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Score bottom of each tomato with an "X." Bring 2 quarts water to a boil in a Dutch oven. Add tomatoes; cook 30 seconds. Remove tomatoes with a slotted spoon; plunge tomatoes into ice water. Drain and peel. Cut each tomato in half crosswise. Push seeds out of tomato halves using the tip of a knife; discard seeds. Chop tomatoes.

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain. Toss pasta with 1 teaspoon oil. Cool completely.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add onion; cook 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook 3 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring frequently. Stir in tomatoes, 1 cup water, parsley, chives, oregano, thyme, and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add pasta, vinegar, and pepper; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated.

Preheat broiler.

Place bread slices on a baking sheet, and top each slice with 1 tablespoon cheese. Broil 1 1/2 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve with soup. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.

VERDICT

I really expected this soup to have a lot of flavor. There were TONS of herbs in there, fresh tomatoes, giant slices of garlic... but it was just blah. It actually tasted like a can of chopped tomatoes.

But on a good note, the croutons were EXCELLENT!