Roasted Red Pepper Soup With Pesto Croutons

• 1/4 cup refrigerated pesto, at room temperature
• 6 sourdough bread slices
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 (15-oz.) jar roasted red bell peppers, rinsed and drained
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup half-and-half
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Garnishes: fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs, shaved Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350u0b0. Spread pesto on 1 side of each bread slice. Cut each bread slice into 1/2- to 1-inch cubes. Place bread cubes in a single layer on a lightly greased aluminum foil-lined jelly-roll pan.
2. Bake at 350u0b0 for 16 to 20 minutes or until golden, turning once after 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool.
3. Melt butter with oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add garlic and shallot, and cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add tomato paste, and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Stir in bell peppers and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool 10 minutes.
4. Process red pepper mixture, in batches, in a blender or food processor 8 to 10 seconds until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides. Return red pepper mixture to Dutch oven; stir in half-and-half and parsley, and cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Ladle soup into 6 bowls; top with croutons. Garnish, if desired.

pesto, bread, butter, olive oil, garlic, shallot, tomato paste, red bell peppers, lowsodium, parsley, salt, parsley sprigs

Taken from www.myrecipes.com/recipe/roasted-red-pepper-soup-with-pesto-croutons (may not work)