Silky Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Crouton Bites

(Catherine McCord)

Growing up, my family’s pantry could have been a standing advertisement for Campbell’s soup. We had at least twenty cans stacked on the shelf at any given time. I would inhale a big bowl of the creamy tomato soup along with a crunchy, gooey grilled cheese on the side weekly. It’s fairly simple to make classic tomato soup homemade. My own personal twist for this recipe—which I’m darn proud of—are mini grilled cheese crouton bites for dipping or to place on top of your soup.

Cook Time:

Prep Time:

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Servings: 4

Ingredients:

2 teaspoon olive oil

1 Small onion, diced

1 Large carrot, peeled and diced

2 Garlic cloves, diced

2 Large tomatoes, diced (about 2 cups)

2 cup vegetable or chicken stock

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon salt

4 Slices bread (any type you prefer: whole-wheat sandwich, French baguette, etc.)

4 Packaged slices Cheddar cheese

Butter, for the pan

Preparation:

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté for 2 minutes, or until translucent. Add the carrots and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes more.

Add the remaining ingredients to the pot and stir to combine.

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

Carefully move the soup to a blender and blend until smooth. You can also use an immersion blender to blend the soup in the pot.

If you do not have fresh tomatoes, you can use one 28-ounce can diced tomatoes and decrease the stock to 1 cup.

Butter a skillet and heat it over medium heat.

Sandwich 2 slices of cheese between 2 slices of bread and place in the hot skillet. Cook for 2 minutes on each side, or until the bread is browned and the cheese is melted. Repeat with the remaining bread and cheese.

Cut each sandwich into 12 pieces and serve with the tomato soup.

For crunchier croutons, place the sandwich cubes on a baking sheet and bake them for 5 minutes in a 400°F oven.