Creamy Tomato Soup Grilled Cheese (Printable)

A velvety tomato blend paired with crispy, melty cheese dippers for warm, satisfying meals.

# What You Need:

→ Tomato Soup

01 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
02 - 1 medium onion, finely chopped
03 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
04 - 2 (14-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
05 - 2 cups vegetable broth
06 - 1 tablespoon tomato paste
07 - 1 teaspoon sugar
08 - 1 teaspoon dried basil
09 - ½ teaspoon dried oregano
10 - ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
11 - ¼ teaspoon black pepper
12 - ½ cup heavy cream
13 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

→ Grilled Cheese Dippers

14 - 8 slices sandwich bread
15 - 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
16 - 8 slices cheddar cheese

# How-To:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
02 - Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add crushed tomatoes, vegetable broth, tomato paste, sugar, dried basil, dried oregano, salt, and black pepper. Stir well to combine.
04 - Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
05 - Remove from heat and puree soup until smooth using an immersion blender or by blending in batches, then return to the pot.
06 - Stir in heavy cream and unsalted butter until melted and smooth. Adjust seasoning as needed and keep warm.
07 - Spread softened butter on one side of each bread slice.
08 - Place 4 bread slices, butter-side down, on a skillet over medium heat. Top each with 2 slices of cheddar cheese, then cover with remaining bread slices, butter-side up.
09 - Cook until golden brown and cheese is melted, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.
10 - Remove sandwiches from skillet, let cool slightly, then cut each into strips for dipping. Serve alongside hot tomato soup.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The soup is genuinely velvety without any weird grainy texture that sometimes happens when cream meets tomatoes.
  • Grilled cheese dippers turn lunch into something that feels intentional and a little bit fancy.
  • It comes together in under an hour, which means weeknight comfort food that doesn't demand much from you.
02 -
  • Add the cream after removing from heat and only when the soup has cooled just a little, or it can break and get grainy, which ruins the whole silky moment.
  • Don't skip the immersion blender step—chunky tomato soup defeats the purpose, but also don't over-blend or you'll end up with something that tastes tired and one-note.
  • The grilled cheese is just as important as the soup, so don't rush it or you'll end up with cold cheese and burnt bread.
03 -
  • Keep the soup on the lowest heat possible while you make the grilled cheese, so it stays warm without breaking or separating.
  • If the soup ever feels too thick, thin it with broth one splash at a time rather than overcompensating and ending up with something watery and sad.

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