The Best Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese

There is nothing quite like a bowl of hot tomato soup served with a warm, cheesy grilled cheese sandwich…especially on a cold winter day like today.  If you always rely on a can for tomato soup, it’s about time that you try making it on your own.  It’s really easy and so delicious.  When making grilled cheese, it’s really important that you choose good-quality bakery bread and not processed bread that you will find in the typical bread isle in the grocery store.  This recipe is actually an update from a previous recipe for tomato soup that we posted on our blog.  While that recipe is good, there were some changes that I wanted to make to make the recipe even better.  I think I made the right changes to the recipe and I love this tomato soup.  It’s definitely one of the best tomato soups I’ve ever had.  I hate tomato soups that are overly creamy because I think they are way too heavy and they don’t always leave me feeling that great.  But this recipe uses only a small amount of cream and does not overwhelm the soup in the least bit.  The cream provides the perfect amount of creaminess to the soup.

Tomato Soup (serves about 5-6)

Ingredients

• 2 cans (28 oz. each) of Whole  San Marzano Tomatoes
• 1 Tablespoon of Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 Tablespoon of Olive Oil
• 7 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 sweet yellow onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 qt. of chicken stock
• Salt & Pepper
• Fresh Basil (~10 leaves)
• Heavy Cream (did not measure–probably about 1/4 cup)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees fahrenheit.
2. Empty the 3 cans of tomatoes onto baking sheet.  Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, minced shallot, 1 minced clove of garlic, dried basil, and salt & pepper (about 1/4 tsp each) to baking sheet with tomatoes.  Mix around to evenly disperse ingredients.
3. Place baking sheet in preheated oven and cook for about 45 minutes to an hour.
4. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add onion and cook a few minutes.  Add the 6 cloves of garlic and crushed red pepper flakes.  Cook until onion is soft and translucent, about 8 minutes.
5. Add white wine to pan and increase the heat up to high.  Cook for 2-3 minutes or until liquid is evaporated.
6. Add roasted tomatoes to the pot along with the chicken stock.  Add the Fresh Basil Leaves.  Season with salt and pepper.
7. Bring to a boil and then simmer.
8. Using a hand-held immersion blender, food processor, or blender, puree mixture until smooth.  Taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary.  Heat should be on low or turned off at this point.  Stir in heavy cream.  Serve.

When you’re having a bowl of tomato soup, grilled cheese must be involved.  Yes, I suppose you could go with packaged bread and sliced american cheese, but why not try to spice things up a little bit?  Trust me, once you make these grilled cheese sandwiches you may never want to go back to packaged bread and american cheese again.

Grilled Cheese with Mozzarella, Provolone, Sliced Tomato and Pesto (Serves 6)

Ingredients

• 2-3 Fresh Tomatoes, sliced
• 1 ball of Fresh Mozzarella Cheese
• 6 slices of Provolone Cheese
• 1 loaf of Bakery Bread (I used Wegman’s Rosemary Olive Oil Bread)
• 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
• Basil leaves, handful
• Arugula, handful
• Salt and Pepper
• Olive Oil (~3/4-1 cup)
• Juice of half of a lemon
• 1 clove of garlic
• ~3/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese

Directions

1. In a small pan over medium heat, toast the pine nuts.
2. In a blender or small food processor, combine the pine nuts, basil leaves, arugula, salt & pepper, lemon juice, garlic, parmesan cheese, and olive oil.  Blend until creamy adding more olive oil if necessary.
3. Preheat Panini Press.
4. To assemble sandwiches, spread both sides of bread with pesto.  On one slice of bread, place 2 slices of Mozzarella Cheese, 1 slice of provolone and 2 sliced tomatoes.  Place other piece of bread on top.
5. Lightly oil or butter  the outside of each slice of bread.  Place on panini press and cook for about 3 minutes.

Question:  What is your favorite comfort food?

• Share

Tagged as: grilled cheese, mozzarella cheese, Pesto, provolone cheese, the best grilled cheese ever, the best tomato soup ever, tomato soup