The BEST Grilled Cheese Tomato Soup
Are you like me and LOVE a great tomato soup and a grilled cheese with it? It’s that time of year when soup is on and this is one of my most favorites! Grilled cheese tomato soup checks all of the boxes of flavor, comfort and favorites.
This recipe reminds me of another favorite–french onion soup. With that mixture of crusty bread and melted cheese on top of the roasted tomato soup there’s a huge similarity. Who knew?
Are you a tomato soup fan?
Which is your favorite? A tomato soup recipe that has lots of cream? A homemade tomato soup that is a family recipe? How about a roasted tomato soup recipe?
Well, all of that sounds amazing to me!
It’s funny how tastes have changed over the years. When we first married, my husband wasn’t a fan of tomato soup. Now, it’s his favorite.
Me, on the other hand? I had a cup of tomato bisque soup for breakfast on Saturday mornings growing up!
Do you love a grilled cheese with that tomato soup?
As I have gotten older, a favorite menu item is always one that has a grilled cheese with that tomato soup.
The soup didn’t have to be a roasted tomato soup recipe until I found this one.
Just the idea of COMBINING the two in one bowl of soup made my heart sing.
Now, carbs have been curbed the past few months trying to keep my weight down…but, occasionally the carb of choice will have to be this cheesy tomato soup recipe. With less bread than a grilled cheese sandwich, the topping of croutons saves on calories AND carbs. Yes, please.
Where does this grilled cheese tomato soup begin?
With a can of tomatoes. Mine are some that I canned last summer.
I have lots of home canned tomatoes in my pantry. But, a large can of whole or crushed tomatoes added to a Dutch oven is all that’s needed with this recipe.
Add some diced onion, garlic, olive oil, butter, fresh thyme, salt and pepper to that Dutch oven and then add it to the oven for roasting.
ROASTING is what stopped me in my tracks.
No adding to the burner, stirring, watching the pot and waiting.
Nope.
Just add it to the oven. What?!!!
Set the shelves in the oven so that your Dutch oven can fit in the center and have a top shelf to bake croutons while the soup ingredients roast.
While the tomato soup is roasting?
While it’s baking? Just break up crusty bread into crouton sized pieces, season and wait for the right time to add it to bake in the oven.
Bake the croutons until golden brown and toasty.
Perfect crunch for the topping on that grilled cheese tomato soup.
Grate Parmesan cheese and Sharp Cheddar cheese for adding later while the soup is roasting.
When finished roasting?
Add pot to the stovetop, remove thyme, add in vegetable broth and simmer on the stove for about 10 minutes.
Then stir in balsamic vinegar and puree with an immersion blender.
Now, to finish that homemade cheesy tomato soup…
Next? Top with half of the cheddar cheese, then the croutons, and finally the remainder of the cheddar cheese. A sprinkle of Parmesan is the final topping.
Turn the oven to broil on high and broil the soup until all of the cheese is melted.
TIP: Make certain that your dish or bowls are safe for broiling. Since my bowls were rated to 450, I simply placed them on a parchment lined baking sheet with sides and placed them on the top shelf until the cheeses were melted and browning.
All that’s left?
Enjoying that soup that has all the flavors of a great tomato soup and grilled cheese.
Oh, and then pinning that recipe AND letting me know in the comments if you LOVE tomato soup and grilled cheese combinations!
Grilled Cheese Tomato Soup
Equipment
- 1 stove/oven
- 1 dutch oven
- 1 grater, for cheese
- 1 Baking Sheet
- parchment paper
- 1 garlic press optional
- 1 liquid measuring cup
- 1 set measuring spoons/dry measuring cups
- 1 immersion blender
- 4 individual serving dishes, broiler safe if serving individual portions
Ingredients
- 1 28 oz whole tomatoes
- 1/2 C diced sweet onion
- 2 T olive oil
- 1/2 t kosher salt
- 1/4 t ground pepper
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme stems
- 2 T butter for roasted soup
- 4 C vegetable broth
- 1 T balsamic vinegar
- 1 C Sharp cheddar cheese, grated
- 1/2 C Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 8 oz Crusty bread, cut into crouton size pieces
- 1/2 t Italian seasoning
- 2 T butter, melted for croutons
Instructions
- Position rack in oven to place Dutch oven in the center for baking and adding another top rack for baking croutons.
- Preheat oven to 425°.
- Measure all ingredients.
- Add can of whole or crushed tomatoes to the Dutch oven, breaking tomatoes up a bit.
- Mix in minced garlic, chopped onion, 2 T butter, olive oil, salt, pepper and add thyme sprigs on the top.
- Add the Dutch oven to the oven, uncovered, and roast for about 45 minutes.
- While the tomatoes are roasting, cut or tear the crusty bread into 1" crouton sized pieces and add to a bowl. Pour over melted butter and Italian seasoning and stir to coat.
- Line a baking sheet with sides and add the croutons in an even layer.
- Add to the upper rack of the oven and bake until toasty–about 10-25 minutes.
- Remove croutons from the oven and set aside.
- While croutons and soup are in the oven, grate both cheeses.
- When tomatoes are finished roasting, move them to the stovetop and remove the thyme sprigs, if desired. Add in the vegetable broth and simmer for about 10 minutes to warm broth into the mixture.
- Stir the balsamic vinegar into the soup.
- Remove from heat.
- Use an immersion blender, or use a VitaMix if you have one, until the soup is a smooth consistency. Taste and add more salt, if needed.
- Add a layer of the grated Cheddar cheese over the soup. See tip below: If adding to the entire pot of soup, add half. If adding to individual serving bowls, add an even layer.
- Top with the layer of crusty croutons.
- Finish with the remaining half of the grated Cheddar cheese for the entire pot or even layer in individual bowls and then the grated Parmesan cheese.
- Turn the broiler to high and add the Dutch oven close to the broiler until the cheese melts.
- Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
- ENTERTAINING TIP: For perfect entertaining, add the soup to broiler safe soup dishes before topping with the cheese and croutons. Perfect proportion of grilled cheese goodness to soup every time!When filling individual serving bowls for the broiler, don't forget to allow room for the grilled cheese topping AND place on a baking sheet with sides to catch the overflow. Parchment paper beneath them helps with clean up!MAKE SURE that those soup dishes are BROILER SAFE!
Notes
An easy serving tip for this tomato soup recipe–
If you are having guests over for this recipe?
Try adding the soup to individual portion soup containers that are safe under the broiler.
Remember to allow room for the cheese and croutons and more cheese on the tops of each so that they don’t overflow all that cheese goodness when broiling!
A parchment paper lined baking sheet with sides while broiling in case they overflow a bit is a great idea!
This cheesy roasted tomato soup recipe broiled and served in individual serving bowls gives them a “french onion soup” look with the ratio of grilled cheese topping to tomato soup perfection!
Roasted grilled cheese tomato soup perfection.
I’m in!
Are you?!!
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Here’s some of the products I think would be amazing for your entertaining with this recipe! Just click on the photo to shop.
Hope you LOVE this homemade tomato soup as much as I do!
I truly hope those who have their feet under your table will be won over with this one.
Those individual serving bowls also allow you to limit the amount of croutons on each to help those monitoring carbs in their diets. A huge help for entertaining!
The season for comfort foods and soup season has arrived.
Here are more of our favorite soup recipes if you need more for those whose feet are under your table:
Thank you, as always, for joining me! Your presence and following are truly treasured.
Enjoy!
9 Comments
Cindy Walker
Another great recipe! Thank you! You never steer us wrong. This will be added to my favorites.
Leslie J Watkins
Hope you guys love it, Cindy! The world feels better with a great soup during this weather!
angie
Thanks so much for the recipe. It definetly is soup and sandwich weather. We often dunked our sandwich in the soup so I think this recipe will be a good one in our family. Thanks for sharing come see us at http://shopannies.blogspot.com
Leslie J Watkins
Hope you love it, Angie! Can’t wait to join you guys!
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Martha Wallace
I’ve never tried this. Does sound like a French Onion Soup style! Who could go wrong with that!
Leslie J Watkins
I know, right? Hope you love it!
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