Easy Tomato Soup With Grilled Cheese Recipes

EASY TOMATO SOUP AND GRILLED CHEESE CROUTONS

Steps:

• In a large pot or Dutch oven such as Le Creuset, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Stir in the chicken stock, tomatoes, saffron, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, fill a medium pot with water, add 2 teaspoons salt and bring to a boil. Add the orzo and cook for 7 minutes. (It will finish cooking in the soup.) Drain the orzo and add it to the soup. Stir in the cream, return the soup to a simmer and cook for 10 more minutes, stirring frequently.
• Serve hot with Grilled Cheese Croutons scattered on top.
• Heat a panini grill. Place the four slices of bread on a cutting board and brush lightly with the melted butter, being sure to butter the corners. Turn the slices over and pile Gruyere on two of the slices. Place the remaining two slices of bread on top of the Gruyere, buttered sides up.
• Grill the sandwiches on the panini grill for about 5 minutes, until nicely browned. Place on a cutting board, allow to rest for 1 minute and cut into 1-inch cubes.

EASY TOMATO SOUP WITH GRILLED CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200°c.
• Place the tomatoes (if using canned tomatoes, add all the juices as well) in a roasting tray and add the Balsamic, 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, 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, tomato paste and sugar. 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.
• 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 tomato soup with a swirl of cream and fresh basil leaves with the grilled cheese.

QUICK TOMATO SOUP WITH GRILLED CHEESE

Steps:

• Make the soup: Dump the canned tomatoes and their juices into a medium pot and using your hands, tear into coarse chunks. Swish the broth in the empty tomato can and add to the pot.
• Stir in the onion, butter, oregano and sugar and season generously with salt and pepper. Turn the heat to high and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and continue simmering, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender and the tomatoes have broken down, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the sandwiches: Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on one side of each slice of bread and evenly sprinkle the cheese and a little oregano on the mayonnaise side of 4 slices. Top with the cheeseless slices, mayonnaise-side down.
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium. Add the sandwiches and cook until golden brown on the bottoms, 2 to 3 minutes. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in the pan, then flip the sandwiches with a spatula, move them around to coat with the butter and cook until the other side is golden brown and the cheese is melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn heat to lowest setting to keep sandwiches warm.
• Carefully purée the tomato soup using a blender until smooth and creamy, adding more broth if needed to loosen to your desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the grilled cheeses to a cutting board and cut each in half diagonally. Serve alongside the soup.

EASY TOMATO SOUP & GRILLED CHEESE CROUTONS

Steps:

• In a large pot or Dutch oven such as Le Creuset, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Stir in the chicken stock, tomatoes, saffron, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, fill a medium pot with water, add 2 teaspoons salt, and bring to a boil. Add the orzo and cook for 7 minutes. (It will finish cooking in the soup.) Drain the orzo and add it to the soup. Stir in the cream, return the soup to a simmer, and cook for 10 more minutes, stirring frequently.
• Serve hot with Grilled Cheese Croutons scattered on top.
• Heat a panini grill. Place the four slices of bread on a cutting board and brush lightly with the melted butter, being sure to butter the corners. Turn the slices over and pile Gruyere on two of the slices. Place the remaining two slices of bread on top of the Gruyere, buttered sides up.
• Grill the sandwiches on the panini grill for about 5 minutes, until nicely browned. Place on a cutting board, allow to rest for 1 minute, and cut into 1-inch cubes. Yield: 4 to 6 servings
• Note: The Grilled Cheese Crouton recipe was halved for the taping of this episode.

TOMATO SOUP WITH GRILLED CHEESE

Steps:

• For the tomato soup: Heat a large saucepan over medium heat and add the oil. When hot, add the onion and a large pinch of salt and cook until starting to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Mix in the tomatoes and chicken stock. Add the cream, hot sauce and oregano if using and bring to a simmer. Simmer until thickened and the flavors come together, 20 to 30 minutes. Taste and season with additional salt if needed. Let cool slightly, then transfer to a blender and puree until smooth.
• For the grilled cheese: Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat.
• Spread the mayonnaise or melted butter on one side of each slice of bread. Sprinkle the Parmesan over the mayonnaise or butter. Flip the slices and put 4 pieces of Cheddar on 4 of the bread slices. Spread the other bread slices with mustard, if using, and close the slices together to form sandwiches (the mayonnaise and Parmesan should be on the outside).
• Working in batches if necessary, transfer the sandwiches to the skillet and cook until browned and toasted, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Slice and serve with the tomato soup.

GOOD OLD-FASHIONED AMERICAN GRILLED CHEESE AND TOMATO SOUP

Steps:

• Heat a large nonstick pan over medium-low heat. Place 5 slices* of cheese in between two slices of bread (two on each side and one in the middle). Spread about 1 tablespoon butter on each exterior side of the bread. Remember, crust-to-crust is a must. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Place the first side in the pan (cooking in batches if necessary) and "dome" with an inverted large metal bowl or pan lid to create the proper vortex of heat. Cook until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes, then flip and continue to cook until the cheese is gooey and bread is golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes more.
• Cut, slowly separate and watch as the cascade of gooey good ol' American cheese catches the sunlight streaming through the kitchen window and throws a glow of warm orange light throughout your entire house. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches. Serve with the Tomato Soup.
• *I know this sounds excessive, but it ensures the most possible ooey-gooeyness. If you're watching the intake, you can scale back to 3 slices.
• Heat a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the butter, onions, carrots, celery, chile flakes and a couple pinches of salt and pepper. Sauté until translucent, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for an additional minute. Deglaze with the sherry while scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the tomatoes, bay leaves and stock. Simmer until everything is cooked through and very tender, about 1 hour.
• Discard the bay leaves and blend the soup until completely smooth and uniform in texture using an immersion blender. Add the heavy cream and adjust the seasoning. Serve!

GRILLED CHEESE WITH TOMATO SOUP

Steps:

• For Soup:
• In a medium pot, over medium heat, add the canola oil. Stir in the onions and celery, and saute until the onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper, to taste, and saute an additional 2 minutes. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook, covered for 30 minutes. (Remove 2 cups of soup and reserve it for Round 2 Recipe Chicken Cacciatore.) Add the remaining soup to a blender and puree until smooth. Return the puree to the pot and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve hot with grilled cheese sandwich.
• For Grilled Cheese Sandwich:
• Heat a large grill pan over medium-high heat. Butter 1 side of each slice of bread. Lay half of the bread, butter side down, in the pan. Put a slice of American cheese on each piece of bread, then sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the Cheddar on top of each piece. Add another slice of American cheese on top of the Cheddar and finally cover with the remaining bread slices, butter side up. Grill until golden brown on both sides and the cheese is melted, about 3 minutes a side. Cut into triangles and serve with tomato soup.

TOMATO SOUP WITH BACON GRILLED CHEESE

Steps:

• In a small pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and cook until translucent, 5 minutes. Add garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add tomatoes with juice and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer; cook until onions are soft, 15 minutes. Transfer to a blender with cream; puree until smooth. (Use caution when blending hot liquids: Remove cap from lid and cover opening with a dish towel.) Season to taste.
• In a skillet, cook bacon over medium-high until browned and crisp, 10 minutes; drain on paper towels. Remove pan with fat from heat. Layer 1 bread slice with half the cheese, bacon, and rest of cheese; top with second bread slice. Return pan to heat. Cook sandwich until cheese is melted and bread is browned, 4 minutes, flipping once. Serve with soup, topped with pesto if desired.