This easy recipe for Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup will turn your favorite childhood comfort food meal into a delicious and simple gourmet experience!
It only takes 15 minutes to make tomato soup from scratch, and my sourdough grilled cheese sandwiches make the perfect dippers.
Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup – it’s a food pairing that will be forever perfect, just like peanut butter and jelly, macaroni and cheese, and bacon and eggs!
I’m sure you’ve mixed up a can of Campbell’s tomato soup concentrate with water before, and you probably even enjoyed it very much. But after today you’ll know an even better tomato soup option.
Today, I’m showing you how easy and quick it is to make tomato soup from scratch using a can of tomatoes and some simple seasonings.
While the soup simmers, you can make a pile of my perfected crusty grilled cheese sandwiches with sourdough bread and melty cheese of your choice. This classic lunch or dinner will be ready in no time!
Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup Recipe Highlights
- The Best Homemade Tomato Soup — This recipe is my best tomato soup yet! It’s a bit fancier than my 5-ingredient tomato soup and a bit more simple than my creamy tomato bisque. Here, in the middle, is the perfect homemade tomato soup that is quick to make and wonderfully flavorful.
- With the Best Grilled Cheese Sandwiches — Making grilled cheese sandwiches is simple, and my tips will help you make the best sandwiches you’ve ever tasted. You can consider this recipe a Panera Bread copycat, but it’s even better!
- A Family Favorite — This meal is warm, cheesy, savory, and completely cozy, perfect for everyone in your house—kids and adults alike.
Key Ingredients
Here is everything you’ll need and some details about the most important ingredients:
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Canned Tomatoes: While you absolutely can make tomato soup with fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes are a simpler, more accessible option. Look for whole tomatoes rather than crushed or chopped ones.
- Garlic and Onion: Sauteed in oil, these create a savory base layer of flavor for the soup.
- Vegetable Stock: I always have some homemade veggie stock in the freezer, but store-bought vegetable broth works just fine, too.
- Herbs: Dried oregano and fresh basil reinforce the fresh, homemade flavors of your soup.
- Parmesan Cheese: At the end, freshly grated Parmesan is stirred into the soup to add a little creaminess and that delicious salty, umami flavor.
- Bread: I suggest using hearty, crusty bread like sourdough or Italian Bread to make grilled cheese sandwiches.
- Cheese: Any kind of melty cheese can be used! I’m using just Colby Jack cheese here, but I’ve successfully made delicious grilled cheese sandwiches with cheddar, gouda, mozzarella, gruyere, and blends of any of these.
- Butter: To make the best crispy cheese sandwiches, you must cook them in plenty of salted butter.
How To Make Homemade Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese
Let’s start with this easy soup recipe!
How to Make the Best Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Tip!
Press down lightly with your spatula as the sandwiches are cooking to ensure that every bit of the bread gets toasted perfectly.
Recipe Tips
- Use a non-reactive pot. Tomatoes are very acidic, so you’ll want to cook them in a vessel that won’t react with that acid to create a chemical reaction. Use a stainless steel, ceramic, or enameled pot, and avoid aluminum, cast iron, and copper.
- Serve the sandwiches right away. Once you take a grilled cheese sandwich off of the pan and put it on a plate, the bottom will start to get soft. It’s best to dig in as soon as they are ready!
- Try making grilled cheese croutons! This is a fun way to enjoy grilled cheese. Simply cook the sandwiches as directed, then use a sharp knife to cut them into cubes. You can then add the cheesy croutons right on top of the soup if you like.
Storing Tips
Grilled cheese sandwiches should be enjoyed right away after cooking, but homemade tomato soup can be stored for later!
You can keep leftover soup in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze it for up to 3 months.
Recipe FAQs
Do you add water or milk to tomato soup?
In this recipe, I added neither! For flavor I’m using vegetable stock, and for creaminess, parmesan cheese. You could add a splash of heavy cream to this soup at the end if you want an even creamier, bisque-like tomato soup.
Can I make this recipe dairy free?
You can make dairy-free tomato soup by omitting the parmesan cheese from the recipe. I don’t have a good dairy-free way to make a grilled cheese sandwich, but you might enjoy my vegan eggplant sandwich instead.
What Other Soup Goes Well with Grilled Cheese?
If you aren’t into tomato soup today, I have tons of delicious homemade soup recipes for you to try. I suggest creamy sweet potato soup, cream of broccoli soup, or black bean soup as an alternative to tomato.
Soup and Sandwich night at your house could have limitless combinations! You might also like to try some of these other sandwiches with your homemade tomato soup:
Quick and Easy Sandwich Recipes
All Sandwiches
I know you’re going to love how quick and easy it is to make grilled cheese and tomato soup – from scratch – in under 30 minutes! Be sure to Pin this recipe for later if you need to, and share it with your friends.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
Recipe Video
Ingredients
Tomato Soup:
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 28 ounces (800 g) canned whole peeled tomatoes do not drain
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 ¾ cup (420 ml) vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
- ¼ cup (21 g) shredded parmesan cheese
Grilled Cheese:
- 8 slices sourdough bread
- 4 tablespoons (52 g) salted butter softened
- 1 ⅓ cups (150 g) shredded cheese such as Colby & Monterey Jack, sharp cheddar and mozzarella, or gruyere or a mix of melting cheeses
Instructions
- In a large nonreactive or enameled Dutch oven set over medium-high heat, heat olive oil add the onion, and saute for 3 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add tomatoes with their juice, dried oregano, salt, sugar, and pepper. Stir to combine and gently smash the tomatoes with a spatula.
- Pour over the stock, add basil, stir to combine, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook partially covered with a lid for 10 minutes.
- Stir in parmesan cheese until melted.
- Remove from heat, transfer the soup into a blender (or use an immersion blender), and blend the soup until smooth. Taste for seasonings, and adjust to your preference.
- To make grilled cheese sandwiches, butter one side of each slice of bread. Add cheese to the non-buttered side and cover with the remaining slice of bread.
- Heat a nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium-low heat. Cook on both sides, applying some pressure on each sandwich with a spatula for better browning, for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Flip and cook for 1-2 more minutes or until the right color is achieved. Remove from pan, slice, and serve with soup.
Notes:
- Use a non-reactive pot. Tomatoes are very acidic, so you’ll want to cook them in a vessel that won’t react with that acid to create a chemical reaction. Use a stainless steel, ceramic, or enameled pot, and avoid aluminium, cast iron, and copper.
- Serve the sandwiches right away. Once you take a grilled cheese sandwich off of the pan and put it on a plate, the bottom will start to get soft. It’s best to dig in as soon as they are ready!
- Tomato soup can be stored for up to 4 days in the refrigerator or frozen for up to 3 months.
- Try making grilled cheese croutons! This is a fun way to enjoy grilled cheese. Simply cook the sandwiches as directed, then use a sharp knife to cut them into cubes. You can then add the cheesy croutons right on top of the soup if you like.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
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