Fire-Roasted Tomato and Bread Soup

4 cups water
4-5 chicken bouillon cubes, salt free
2 slices day-old Italian bread, 1/2-inch thick
1/2 small red bell pepper, cored, seeded
25 plum tomatoes, halved, (or a combination of fresh and Hunts canned fire roasted tomatoes)
1 medium onion, peeled, cut in 1/2-inch slices
olive oil
1/4 cup basil leaves
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt if desired
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

In a large stockpot, add the chicken broth and bread, and set aside for 1 hour. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables: Flatten the pepper half with the palm of your hand. Brush the pepper half, tomato halves, and onion slices with oil. Grill the vegetables over Direct High heat until lightly charred, 6 to 8 minutes, turning once halfway through grilling time. Remove from grill. When tomatoes and pepper are cool enough to handle, remove their skins. Rough chop all the grilled vegetables. Add the grilled vegetables and the rest of the ingredients to the pot and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Puree for a smooth soup, or serve chunky. Can be garnished with fat free sour cream thinned with a little milk, and some basil mixed in, then swirled on top of soup in bowl. A slice of sourdough with swiss broiled on top is a lovely addition. For a little more zing spread a thin layer of brown mustard on bread before topping with swiss. Sour cream swirl and cheese bread not included in calories. 1cup= 1 serving

Number of Servings: 8

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user KIMWELL.