Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup

Difficulty:

1/5

Ease of Preparation: Easy
Time of Preparation: 50 minutes
Yield: 6 servings

If there’s a more classic rainy-day pairing than a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup, we have yet to find it! A silky, creamy tomato soup and a grown-up grilled cheese on sourdough bread with ooey-gooey cheddar, provolone and Havarti is sure to appeal to the kid in all of us!

Ingredients:

Tomato Soup:

3 tablespoons (45 ml) olive oil
2 large sprigs basil
1 onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons (10 ml) white sugar
4 cups (950 ml) canned crushed tomatoes, with juice
2 cups (470 ml) chicken broth
¼ cup (60 ml) whipping cream
Salt

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches:

12 slices sourdough bread
12 tablespoons (180 ml) butter, room temperature (divided, for spreading)
6 slices orange cheddar
6 slices provolone
6 slices Havarti

To Serve:

Tomato Soup
2 tablespoons (30 ml) butter
Cracked black pepper, to garnish
Whipping cream, to garnish
Grilled Cheese

Method:

For the Tomato Soup:

Heat the oil in a medium soup pot over medium heat.

Add the basil sprigs to the oil and sizzle gently to infuse for 3-4 minutes, until aromatic. When ready, remove the basil and discard.

Add the onions and garlic to the basil-infused oil and sweat for 5 minutes, until soft and translucent.

Add the sugar and cook for 1 minute, until just dissolved.

Add the tomatoes and chicken broth, stir, and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 30 minutes until the flavours marry.

Carefully transfer the hot soup to a blender (in batches, if needed) and blend until silky smooth. Use a kitchen towel or oven mitts to protect your hands and start by pulsing the soup in short bursts to reduce the risk of the hot soup splashing out of the blender.

Return the blended soup to the pot and season with salt, add the cream and bring to a simmer.

Keep warm until ready to serve.

For the Grilled Cheese Sandwiches:

Warm a non-stick skillet or griddle large enough to hold six slices of bread over medium-low heat.

Evenly spread butter on one side of all the bread slices.

When the skillet or griddle is warm, place half of the slices, butter side down, onto the cooking surface.

Top each piece of bread with 1 slice each of orange cheddar, provolone, and Havarti cheese.

Top with another slice of bread, butter side up.

Cook for about 3 minutes, until golden brown and crispy.

Flip and cook for another 3 minutes, pressing down on the sandwich gently with a large spatula.

When both sides of the sandwich are golden brown, warmed through, and the cheese has melted, remove from the skillet or griddle and keep warm while plating the soup.