A Cozy Classic
One of the most classic recipes of all time is tomato soup and grilled cheese. It’s the perfect meal when the weather gets chillier because it warms you right up! The soup is creamy but still has the acidity from the tomatoes to cut through the fat from the grilled cheese. It’s the perfect balance! Today, I’m bringing you my version of the classic: this is my recipe for a Roasted Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese.
Soup From Scratch
We’re starting this recipe with fresh tomatoes! They’re tossed together with garlic, olive oil, oregano, thyme, basil, and crushed red pepper flakes then roasted in the oven until caramelized. There are a lot of recipes for tomato soup that use canned tomatoes, but I chose to use fresh tomatoes. The recipes that use canned tomatoes are quick, easy, and delicious; but if I’m going to put effort into making a delicious tomato soup, I’m going to start from scratch. Personally, I think you get a better depth of flavor because the ingredients and flavors get to caramelize and meld together.
Once the tomatoes and garlic are roasted, we’re moving to the pot! Onions and carrots are sauteed until cooked through. The addition of the carrots lend a slight sweetness to balance out the acidity from the tomatoes. Then we add in tomato paste, vegetable stock, and basil. You cannot have tomato soup without basil. The fresh flavors just go so well together! Everything is then blended until smooth and returned into the pot. We finish the Roasted Tomato Soup off with parmesan cheese and heavy cream to get that creamy consistency we all love.
Let’s Get Cheesy
And now time for my favorite part…the grilled cheese! I like my grilled cheese to not only be cheesy, but also creamy. My cheeses of choice are: Colby jack, sharp American cheddar cheese, and garlic and fine herb Boursin cheese. I wanted to use cheeses that melt well and add flavor. Colby jack and American sharp cheddar cheese will give you that amazing cheese pull and a slight tang. Then the Boursin gives that creamy consistency I’m looking for as well as a garlicky herb flavor. When these three cheeses melt together, it’s heaven. They blend so well into each other that it’s just a creamy, cheesy, party in your mouth! And paired with the acidic tomato soup? You don’t even know what’s about to hit you!
Make this Roasted Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese the next time you’re looking to get cozy, and I promise you won’t regret it! Keep up with me and my recipes on instagram: @byolivialam
Roasted Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese
Ingredients
For the Tomato Soup
- 3 lbs Tomatoes (halved if small, quartered if large)
- 1/4 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 6 Garlic Cloves (papery skin peeled off)
- 3/4 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (use 1/2 tsp if you want less spice)
- 1/2 tbsp Dried Oregano
- 1/2 tbsp Dried Thyme
- 1/2 tbsp Dried Basil
- 1 tbsp Kosher Salt
- 1/2 tbsp Ground Black Pepper
- 1 cup Diced Yellow Onion
- 1 cup Peeled and Diced Carrot
- 2 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 2 cups Vegetable Stock
- 1/2 cup Fresh Basil Leaves
- 1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
For the Grilled Cheese (recipe to make 2 Grilled Cheese)
- 4 slices Sourdough Bread
- 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter (at room temperature)
- 4 tbsp Garlic and Fine Herbs Boursin Cheese
- 1/2 cup Grated Colby Jack Cheese
- 1/2 cup Grated Sharp American Cheddar Cheese
Instructions
For the Tomato Soup
- Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Add the tomatoes, 1/4 cup of the olive oil, garlic cloves, red pepper flakes, oregano, thyme, basil, kosher salt, and ground black pepper to the pan. Toss until the ingredients are evenly coated then position the tomatoes so that the cut side is facing up. Roast them in the oven for 40-45 mins until caramelized and lightly browned. Set aside.
- Heat the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pot over medium high heat. Add in the onion and carrot and saute for about 5 minutes. Mix in the tomato paste and cook for 1 min. Add in the roasted tomatoes and garlic. Mix to combine then pour in the vegetable stock.
- Working in batches, transfer the mixture to a blender along with the fresh basil leaves and blend until smooth. Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender and blend until smooth. Pour the soup back into the pot and heat over medium heat until it comes to a simmer. Mix in the parmesan cheese and heavy cream. Enjoy!
For the Grilled Cheese (recipe to make 2 Grilled Cheese)
- Spread about 1/2 a tablespoon of the unsalted butter onto one side of each slice of sourdough. Flip the slices over then spread about 1 tablespoon of the boursin cheese onto each slice. Add about 1/4 cup of colby jack cheese and 1/4 cup of sharp American cheddar cheese to two of the slices of sourdough. Top the slices with the remaining slice, making sure the butter coated side faces up.
- Heat a pan over medium low to medium heat. Add the sandwiches to the pan and cook for about 3 minutes until the the slice on the bottom is golden brown. Flip the grilled cheese over and cover the pan with a lid. Cook for another 3-4 minutes until the bottom slice is golden brown and the cheeses have melted. Serve with the tomato soup and enjoy!
