Creamy Roasted-Onion Soup

Roasted onion and a whole head of garlic are pureed to make a creamy, sweet base for the soup.

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/4  pounds  Oso or other sweet onions, peeled and quartered
• Cooking spray
• 1  whole garlic head, unpeeled
• 1  tablespoon  water
• 1/8  teaspoon  saffron threads (optional)
• 2  (14.5-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1  bay leaf
• 1/4  cup  dry sherry or Madeira wine, divided
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8  teaspoon  salt
• 1  teaspoon  fresh lemon juice
• 1/2  cup  (2 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese
• Chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°.

Place the onion quarters on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; lightly coat onion quarters with cooking spray.

Remove white papery skin from garlic head (do not peel or separate cloves). Place garlic on a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with water; wrap in foil. Place wrapped garlic on baking sheet with onion quarters. Bake for 1 hour or until onion quarters are soft and lightly browned, turning after 30 minutes. Cool.

Place onion in a large saucepan. Unwrap garlic; separate cloves and squeeze to extract pulp into pan. Discard garlic skins. Add saffron (if desired), broth, and bay leaf to pan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in 3 tablespoons sherry, pepper, and salt. Reduce heat; simmer 15 minutes. Discard bay leaf.

Place half of the onion mixture in a blender or food processor; process until smooth. Pour pureed mixture into a large bowl; repeat procedure with remaining onion mixture. Return onion mixture to pan; cook over low heat until thoroughly heated. Stir in 1 tablespoon sherry and juice.

Ladle 1 cup soup into each of 4 bowls; top each serving with 2 tablespoons cheese. Sprinkle with parsley, if desired.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

157 (24% from fat)

Fat:

4.2g (sat 2.6g,mono 1.1g,poly 0.3g)

Protein:

9.2g

Carbohydrate:

18.9g

Fiber:

2.9g

Cholesterol:

13mg

Iron:

0.7mg

Sodium:

496mg

Calcium:

194mg