Sheet Pan Creamy Veggie Soup

Sheet Pan Cream of Veggie Soup With Grilled Cheese Croutons This rich mix of roasted veggies makes a hearty soup with a rich, roasted flavor.  The croutons provide some added zing!
Ingredients Soup:

• 1 head of garlic
• 3 red bell peppers, halved with seeds removed
• 10 oz carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces (5 large carrots)
• 1/2 of a small head of cauliflower, roughly chopped
• 3 small tomatoes, quartered
• 1 small yellow onion, cut into wedges
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• Juice from 1 lemon (2 tbsp)

Grilled Cheese Croutons:

• 2 slices of bread (Sour dough adds the perfect bit of punch)
• 2-3 slices cheddar or American cheese (or cheese of your choice)
• 1-2 tablespoons butter, or whatever you need

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400˚F.
2. Slice off the top of the head of garlic, exposing the cloves. You'll only use half of the cloves in the recipe, but I use the whole thing!
3. Place the bell pepper (skin side up), carrots, cauliflower, tomatoes, garlic and onion to a large sheet pan. (Cut your carrots, cauliflower, and tomatoes into smaller pieces to ensure they cook at the same rate as the peppers.)
4. Drizzle with olive oil, then evenly sprinkle with the salt, smoked paprika, cayenne and cumin. Roast for 40-45 minutes, until all vegetables are fork tender.
5. About 10 minutes before the vegetables are done, add the broth to a small pan over medium heat or pop it in the microwave until it's hot. You want to heat it so the soup doesn’t cool down when you put it in the blender with the veggies.
6. Once the vegetables are done, immediately add to a blender. Squeeze out the garlic cloves from 1/2 of the head of garlic. Save the other half for another recipe. Add in the hot broth and the lemon juice and blend until smooth. Taste and add remaining 1/2 tsp salt if needed (this will depend on how salty your broth is and the type of salt you use).
7. Serve hot with grilled cheese or these grilled cheese croutons.
8. To make grilled cheese croutons, add butter to a pan over medium low heat. Begin toasting bread in the pan until it's golden brown and caramelized, then flip one piece over and add cheese slices to the caramelized surface. Place the other slice, cooked side down, on top of the cheese. Cover with a lid. Cook until bottom is brown and crispy, then flip again and cook until other side is brown and crispy, and cheese is completely melted. Remove from heat and slice into small cubes.
9. Reheat soup on stove if it cooled down too much after blending.

Notes Make sure your blender is heat safe, or leave the top slightly open when blending. The steam from the hot broth and veggies will create pressure in your blender if it's not heat safe, and the lid may pop off. If you have any liquid left over in the sheet pan from roasting your vegetables, be sure to add that to the blender. Add more broth, if needed, to get the consistency you want. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. Reheat over medium-low heat until warmed through.