Easy Tomato Soup With Grilled Cheese
This Easy Tomato Soup Recipe served with a simple, extra-cheesy grilled cheese sandwich is comfort food personified. Served with a swirl of cream and fresh basil, it’s your childhood favorite all grown up.
There are few things that scream “home” and “comfort”as much as a bowl of creamy tomato soup served with a grilled cheese sandwich. The simple meal consists of ingredients we all have in our homes so it’s the kind of recipe I turn to often. Whether as a simple lunch for the kids or a family dinner, grilled cheese and tomato soup is the answer. Perfect for feeding a crowd and exactly what I’m craving when the weather is on the cooler side.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Tomatoes. Ripe tomatoes are always best but canned whole tomatoes will also be delicious.
- Balsamic vinegar.
- Olive oil.
- Salt, pepper and sugar.
- Onion.
- Garlic.
- Basil leaves. Other herbs like thyme and oregano are also delicious with tomatoes.
- Stock. Use any stock or broth of your choice. I used chicken stock but vegetable broth can be used if you want to keep this recipe vegetarian.
- Tomato paste.
- Cream. Heavy cream/whipping cream. Substitute with coconut milk for a dairy-free version.
How To Make Easy Tomato Soup
1. Roast The Tomatoes:
Combine tomatoes and aromatics in a roasting or baking dish and roast the tomatoes until soft and caramelized.
2. Make The Soup:
Saute onions, garlic and basil until soft. Add roasted tomatoes, tomato paste and stock. Cook for 10-15 minutes then blend. Add cream and season to taste. Serve with grilled cheese.
How Do You Make Tomato Soup Thicker?
Allowing the soup to simmer and reduce will thicken it but if you want a thicker end result, mix 1-2 teaspoons of corn starch with a few teaspoons of water and stir into the soup. Allow to simmer until thickened. Alternatively, you can add some cubed potatoes to the onions and allow to cook completely. The blended potatoes will thicken the soup without the need for any additional thickeners.
Freezing And Storing
- To freeze: Always freeze before adding cream. Allow blended soup to cool to room temperature. Transfer to freezer-safe jars, containers or bags and seal. Freeze for up to 4 months. Thaw completely before adding the cream and reheating.
- Make-ahead: This soup can be made up to 3 days ahead. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and reheat over medium heat before serving.
Serving suggestions
There is no better side dish to tomato soup than a grilled cheese sandwich. However, crusty bread like focaccia or potato bread will also be delicious.
Video
Ingredients
- 1½ kg (3lbs) Tomatoes Use ripe, seasonal tomatoes or replace with whole canned tomatoes. San Marzano tomatoes are excellent but any good quality Italian tomatoes can be used.
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 red onions finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves I don't bother chopping the basil as the leaves will be blended.
- 2 tsp tomato paste
- 8 cups vegetable / chicken broth
- ½ cup cream
- salt & black pepper to taste
- fresh basil to serve
for the grilled cheese sandwich
- 2 slices bread per person
- 2 cups grated mozzarella
- 2 cups grated mature cheddar
- butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/390°F.
- Place the tomatoes (if using canned tomatoes, add all the juices as well) in a roasting tray and add the Balsamic vinegar, olive oil, sugar and salt. Stir to combine and place in the oven for 25-30 minutes until the tomatoes are broken down and have started to caramelize.
- In a large pot or Dutch oven set over medium-high heat, sauté the onions in some olive oil until they are translucent and fragrant. Add the garlic and basil and fry for another minute.
- Add the roasted tomatoes and tomato paste . Stir to combine all the ingredients and pour in the stock.
- Lower the heat and cover the pot. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the heat and blend the soup until smooth using a blender or an immersion blender/stick blender.
- Add the cream and season to taste.
- To make the grilled cheese sandwiches, mix the mozzarella with the cheddar. Add ½ cup cheese to half of the slices of bread. Sandwich with the remaining bread. Butter both sides generously.
- Cook in a non-stick pan, over medium heat until the cheese is melted and the sandwiches are golden brown on both sides.
- Serve the homemade tomato soup with a drizzle of cream and fresh basil leaves with the grilled cheese sandwiches.
Notes
Recipe Notes:
- Roasting the tomatoes with aromatics before blending into the soup builds serious flavor. It’s a quick and easy step that means your soup goes from good to great. If you don’t have access to ripe, in-season tomatoes, using whole canned tomatoes are perfectly fine.
- Flavor the soup with ingredients that compliment tomatoes. Balsamic vinegar, basil and garlic are always a good idea where tomatoes are concerned. A pinch of chilli flakes/red pepper flakes will add a hum of heat if you like spicier foods. A little sugar tempers the acidity of the tomatoes but is completely optional.
I misplaced a recipe I got from your website for Boneless chicken thighs, they are so good.
Can you Please send it to me again.
Thank you,
Kathy
Hi Kathy – can you tell me a bit more about the recipe? I have quite a few boneless chicken thigh recipes on the blog.
S was very tasty! Every one loved it I to! The,
Best!! ‘