Something about the cold weather makes me want to spend all my time in the kitchen. When the air gets chilly, all I want is to snuggle up with a good book and put yummy things in my belly. I recently found a new (old) favorite comfort food combo: grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup! And I can’t stop making it. I crave it daily and have never had so many large 28 oz cans of tomatoes in my pantry. Not only does this meal combo essentially require only six ingredients altogether, but they’re all things that keep pretty well so you can cook it up whenever it strikes your fancy.
I was inspired after thumbing through The Magnolia Journal, which encouraged readers to have simple soup gatherings. I could tell they were really trying to hammer in the message that it’s not so much about making a big fuss with lots of food, but just enjoying good company with a warm and comforting meal. Even if that meal is just a pot of soup. Comforting doesn’t have to mean fussy, and I tried to take that message in and allow myself the possibility of serving a one (!) course meal with friends over. Could I really do it? Just soup? Would people feel like it wasn’t worth the effort of coming over if it were… just soup? Hm.
I can’t really see myself doing it, but it wouldn’t be too hard to throw in a grilled cheese sandwich. And I’m pretty sure no one would be complaining if I did it the way the magazine recommended (in a different section)- literally grilling the cheese on the skillet first. Ohhh yeah. I tried it last week and just KNOWING my cheese got some of that crispy browned cheesy crust from my seasoned cast iron made me feel like I was eating something special. I also looked up an easy tomato soup recipe to go with it, and found a one of those awesome recipes that is not only easy (and essentially 3 ingredients!), but SO DELICIOUS. As one person had commented on that site,
…this is the best homemade tomato soup that I have ever had, at my age (old) I have a lot! Add to its simplicity and the reason for its winning nature, no flavor competing and muddying the pot, becomes clear. Simply delicious is pure decision. Thanks to you for this final and only recipe in my tomato soup ‘collection’.
That was the comment that made me commit to this recipe, and turns out it was so true! This soup wins because of the simplicity of the recipe- no sugar, spices, herbs or cream. This allows the tomato flavor to truly stand out! It’s delicious. I made it for my husband and left the house before he had a chance to eat. He wolfed it down and promptly texted me, “Lunch was amazing” followed by “!!”
That made my day!
So I have and will make this again and again. Who wants to come over? Sunday lunch anybody? 🙂
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Tomato Soup
Makes 2 generous servings
Tomato Soup (from Inspired Taste)
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 large onion, cut into large wedges
- 1 (28-oz) can tomatoes (whole peeled or crushed)
- 1 1/2 cups water or low sodium chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
Instructions
- Melt butter over medium heat in a dutch oven or large saucepan. Add onions, stock, can of tomatoes with their juices, and salt. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for about 40 minutes. Stir occasionally and add additional salt as needed.
- Blend the soup using an immersion blender. It doesn’t need to be super smooth, some texture is a nice touch. If you use a blender, blend in batches and don’t seal the lid all the way (because the soup is hot!). This is one of the few soup applications I have found where an immersion blender is preferable to the big blender.
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 slices of sourdough or country bread
- 6 slices cheddar cheese
- kosher salt, to taste
Instructions
- In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Set two bread slices onto the melted butter and then let it toast on the skillet until lightly browned. Remove bread to a separate plate.
- In the same hot skillet, place 2-3 slices of cheese to roughly mimic the shape of the bread. It should sizzle as soon as it hits the skillet. Let it get all melty, then take one slice of toasted bread and push it down onto the cheese. Pushing down on the bread, use a spatula to get under the cheese and flip everything over so now the bread is on the bottom with the cheese on top. Add the second slice on top. It might be a bit messy, but if cheese gets all over the sandwich, all the better- it will grill up and brown and make a delicious cheesy crust! Sometimes I throw some extra cheese down on the outside for a cheesy crust. Mmm. Sprinkle on a tiny bit of kosher salt on top of the sandwich (optional). Slice (I like slicing diagonally) and serve with a bowl of tomato soup!
- Repeat for the second sandwich.
5 responses to “Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Tomato Soup – AMAZING MEAL with Only 6 Ingredients!”
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What a well-timed post! I was just telling B that I want to eat more grilled cheese & tomato soup 🙂 Haven’t made our own tomato soup before, and your recipe sounds perfect. Thanks for sharing! Also, Sunday lunch sounds great 😉
No way! What a coincidence! You guys should definitely come over sometime for grilled cheese and tomato 🙂 Mmm let’s plan it!
I made tomato soup two days in a row. Very delicious! Thank you!!
Hooray! It’s so simple and pure and delicious- so glad you enjoyed it! I love that you try my recipes and report back to let me know how it goes :D. Thanks, Auntie Diana!
Waw! Easy to make this recipe. Moreover, even more easy make Tomato Soup.
Thank you for sharing.