Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese and Bacon Croutons

Let's combine two childhood favorites to create the ultimate comfort dish! Tomato soup with grilled cheese and bacon croutons is the meal every adult and kid will love.

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• Watch how to make this
• What makes this dish special
• Ingredients
• Substitutions and variations
• Step-by-step instructions
• Make-ahead and storage
• Frequently asked questions
• More soup recipes
• Recipe

Watch how to make this

@cherryonmysundae

tomato soup with grilled cheese and bacon croutons. comment "RECIPE" for the full link. #recipesforyou #comfortfood #easyrecipes #soupseason

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Ingredients

• Vegetables: The combination of onion, carrot, and celery forms the aromatic base of the soup, providing depth and sweetness. These vegetables enhance the overall flavor profile, making the soup more complex and satisfying.
• Canned tomatoes: Canned tomatoes are the star ingredient, providing the primary flavor and texture of the soup. They add acidity, sweetness, and richness, which are essential for a well-balanced tomato soup. Using high-quality canned tomatoes, such as San Marzano, can significantly elevate the dish.
• Italian seasoning: Italian seasoning adds a blend of herbs that enhances the soup's flavor with aromatic notes. 
• Heavy cream: Adds richness and creaminess to the soup, balancing the acidity of the tomatoes. 
• White bread: White bread is used to make grilled cheese sandwiches that serve as croutons in the soup. You can use Pullman bread, challah, brioche, sourdough, or whole-grain bread.
• Sharp cheddar: Sharp cheddar cheese is used in grilled cheese sandwiches for its bold flavor. It melts beautifully and adds a savory richness.
• Bacon: Adds a smoky, savory flavor to the croutons, providing a delightful crunch and richness.

Substitutions and variations

• Protein: Omit the bacon for a vegetarian version or swap it for another ingredient such as ham, pulled pork, or sauteed mushrooms and spinach for a vegetarian version.
• Gluten-free: Use your favorite gluten-free white bread for the croutons.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Prepare soup

Let's start with the soup since it takes the longest to prepare. Start by heating vegetable oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add chopped onion, chopped carrot, and chopped celery. Sauté the vegetables for about 7-8 minutes, or until they have softened.

Next, add minced garlic and continue to sauté for an additional minute until fragrant. Then, add canned crushed or diced tomatoes along with Italian seasoning and either vegetable or chicken stock.

Bring the mixture to a boil, cover the pot, and reduce the heat to low. Allow the soup to simmer for about 10 minutes to let the flavors meld together.

Step 2: Finish soup

After simmering, remove the pot from heat and use an immersion blender to puree the soup until it reaches your desired consistency. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can carefully transfer the soup in batches to a regular blender.

Once blended, return the soup to the pot and stir in ⅓ cup of heavy cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then heat the soup for another minute before setting it aside to keep warm.

Step 3: Make grilled cheese

Everyone knows that a grilled cheese sandwich is simply that, cheese and bread. To make the best grilled cheese, you want to use extra sharp cheddar cheese and white bread. Always choose the cheese blocks and grate them yourself if you can. It's just better, trust me. I used brioche bread for my croutons but you can use sourdough, Pullman bread, even garlic bread if you want to be extra fancy.

While the tomato soup is cooking, make the grilled cheese. Slather one side of each of the bread with a good amount of butter. Place the cheese in the center followed by bacon, more cheese, and the remaining slice of bread.

Instead of making regular grilled cheese sandwiches, we're going to take it one step further and create a cheese crust. Sprinkle extra shredded cheddar on top of the bread. Carefully place the sandwich on a warm griddle or non-stick pan and cook over medium heat.

While the bottom crisps up, sprinkle more cheese on top. Once the bottom becomes nice and golden, flip and cook it on the other side. Don't worry if some of the cheese falls out of place; you'll still get a lovely crust regardless.

Step 4: Putting it all together

If you want to skip the tomato soup, you can enjoy the grilled cheese itself for a great sandwich. Otherwise, cut the grilled cheese into bite-size pieces and complete the tomato soup with grilled cheese and bacon croutons.

Although this dish sounds heavy, the light tomato soup perfectly balances the heartier sandwich. The perfect dish to warm you up on chilly days and fill you up!

Make-ahead and storage

• Make-ahead: You can make the soup the day before and reheat it before serving.
• Store: Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave.

Frequently asked questions

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