I leave it up to you if you want to include the Super Melty Grilled Cheese with your tomato soup.
The classic tomato soup is perfect and gluten free. Obviously, this super melty grilled cheese is not gluten free or dairy free or paleo or any of the other “healthy eating” protocols that we follow, most of the time. But it is absolutely delicious. I believe in balance, and I believe in eating food that you love. I’m a sucker for this classic combo of fresh tomato soup paired with a crispy, golden, melty grilled cheese sandwich.
This being said, I do keep my wits about me and only have half of the sandwich. I savor every single yummy bite. The other day when I made this soup, I couldn’t imagine not having it with a little grilled cheese. If this offends you, feel free to skip it and make a super healthy bowl of tomato soup.
Choosing the perfect cheese for grilled cheese.
Some of you may be old school and go with Kraft American slices. While it’s not technically a cheese I get it it’s what your mamma made, and you still have fond memories of that extra salty slice of creamy melty-ness. I prefer to mix things up and use a sharp cheddar plus gruyere. In my opinion, this is the perfect combo of flavor. I use this combo in my Bombtastic Mac and Cheese recipe as well.
The key to getting you grilled cheese to be super melty and crispy-toasted at the same time is to cook it low and slow. Not too low, but make sure that the temperature of your pan is not browning the butter and bread before the cheese is melted. I usually cook my grilled cheese on medium heat but watch it closely so that I can turn the heat down if I need to.
The perfect bread for grilled cheese is also up for debate.
I always go with sourdough. I love the tangy flavor of a Bay Area sourdough bread. Especially with a rich and creamy tomato soup.
Of course, you can always use gluten-free bread here. There are some excellent choices out there.
Another good choice is a hearty wheat bread or dark pumpernickel. Yum! Whatever bread you choose make sure you are going to enjoy it. When you make a comfort food recipe like grilled cheese and tomato soup you want to get some soul-warming comfort. Am I right?
The Basic Tomato Soup Recipe is low carb.
Plus, it’s gluten and dairy free. If you are vegan or following a low carb or keto diet, then you can make the tomato soup as it is and enjoy it plain and simple. I promise you won’t miss a thing.
This tomato soup is everything homemade tomato soup should be. Not only is this an easy tomato soup recipe to make. It has the perfect tomato soup flavor. As with every recipe I create I like to serve it up to you a few options.
Making a perfect tomato soup.
Tomato soup only has a few basic ingredients. Making the perfect homemade tomato soup should be super easy but if you don’t do it just right it the flavor is all off. You could end up with a soup that tastes like a marinara or even worse ketchup.
To get the flavor that you want it is essential to balance that acid in the tomatoes with a little bit of mild sweetness. The natural sugars that are developed by caramelizing the onions in the first step of this recipe are vital to getting a smooth, rich flavor.
The creaminess of the soup comes from adding flour to the onions and butter. When you add the flour to the fat, you end up with a roux. I make this soup with a which leaves the soup a little less creamy than an all-purpose flour would, but I don’t mind. You can decide what is best for you. Whichever flour you use you can swap it out with the exact same amount.
Thealso purees the caramelized onions, this step contributes to the creating a creamy tomato soup as well.
Seasoning tomato soup.
A lot of the time tomato soup is made with basil. Of course, fresh basil is perfectly acceptable here. But again, be careful not to build a classic marinara sauce. I like to use celery salt, thyme, a little ground savory, and a healthy amount of freshly ground black pepper. I find that this combo of spices gives a nice flavor to the tomato soup.
If after you have seasoned the soup is still is too acidic, you can add a few tablespoons of honey.
The level of acidity will vary depending on if you are using fresh ripe tomatoes or canned tomatoes and which variety or brand you are using.
How to make a tomato bisque soup?
A bisque is a cream based soup. Two of the most common or maybe just two of my favorites are tomato bisque and lobster bisque. If you can tolerate dairy then consider bisque-ing this soup up by adding a little bit of heavy cream into this soup after you have used the to get the tomato soup super creamy.
If you don’t want to add cream to the entire pot of this homemade tomato soup, adding a dollop of creme fraiché and a sprinkle of fresh chives is divine.
Irresistible Tomato Soup and Super Melty Grilled Cheese
Ingredients
TOMATO SOUP
- ½ lb Unsalted butter
- 3 medium Sweet onions diced
- ½ cup Gluten free flour
- 3 28 ounce cans Diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon Celery salt
- 1.5 teaspoon Dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon Ground savory
- 2 tablespoons Honey
- 1 teaspoon Ground pepper
- 2 teaspoons Salt to taste
TOPPINGS (Optional)
- Creme fraiché
- Heavy cream
PERFECTLY MELTY GRILLED CHEESE
- 4 slices Sourdough bread
- 4 tablespoons Unsalted butter
- 1-2 slices Cheddar cheese
- 1-2 slices Gruyere cheese
Special Equipment (Optional)
Instructions
TOMATO SOUP
- Add the butter and diced onions to a large heavy-bottomed pot. I used a 4-qt Staub.
- Cook over medium-high heat until the onions are golden brown.
- Add the flour to the butter and onions. Heat until bubbly and thick.
- Add the tomatoes, broth, and spices.
- Bring the soup to a boil and then reduce heat.
- Use an immersion blender and blend the soup until it is creamy.
SUPER MELTY GRILLED CHEESE
- Add two tablespoons of butter to a skillet and allow it to melt on medium heat.
- Add two sliced of bread to the pan and then top with cheddar and gruyere.
- NOTE: Make that the heat is not too hot. You want the bread to toast slowly in the butter so that the cheese has enough time to melt.
- Top the stacks with the remaining two slices of sourdough bread.
- Watch the sandwiches closely, brown the bread until the bottom slice is golden brown and crispy.
- Add the additional two tablespoons of butter to the pan. Allow it to melt and then flip the sandwiches over.
- Grill the second side until the bread is golden brown and toasty and the cheese is melty.
- Remove bread and serve with the tomato soup.
Notes
Nutrition
