Easy Tomato Soup Recipe with Grilled Cheese Croutons

Baby it’s cold outside…. When will this deep freeze be over? I feel for all my friends and family in much colder areas than here in VA. I thought I would share Barefoot Contessa’s  Easy Tomato Soup Recipe with Grilled Cheese Croutons to bring some good old comfort food your way.

Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches remind me so much of my childhood and this is a grown up version the whole family will enjoy.

homemade tomato soup recipe

This is such an easy tomato soup and with canned tomatoes so readily available,  buy the best you can afford.

You don’t have to wait for summer for a fresh tasting tomato soup. Really who is eating tomato soup in the summer anyway?  But you can use fresh tomatoes too. 

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HOW TO MAKE GRILLED CHEESE WITHOUT A PANINI MACHINE

Since we don’t own a Panini grill it was just as affective to use a grill pan and then add a heavy pot on top. You can achieve the grill marks easily and if you want the smooshed look of a Panini grill add the heavy pot on top.

WHAT MAKES THE BEST CHEESE FOR A GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH

My kids also don’t care for Guyere cheese so we substituted cheddar for most of the sandwiches. I am a traditionalist myself so I went with the sharp cheddar.

 

tomato soup recipe

HOW TO MAKE CROUTONS FOR SOUP

You will definitely want to make extra soup, you will want to have it another day too. Go ahead and dip a full size sandwich into this easy tomato Soup recipe, no one is watching!!

 What is your favorite comfort soup?

Easy Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheeese Croutons

Easy Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheeese Croutons

Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Relive your childhood with this easy tomato soup with grilled cheese croutons. A warm and hearty soup and don't worry you can still dip your sandwiches. Recipe compliments of Barefoot Contessa.

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsps Olive oil
  • 3 cups yellow onions chopped, 2 onions
  • 1 TBSP minced garlic 3 cloves
  • 4 cups chicken stock, I use low sodium
  • 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 large pinch saffron threads
  • kosher salt freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup orzo
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 4 slices slices country white bread we used whole wheat
  • 2 tbps butter, melted
  • 4 oz Gruyere cheese, grated

Instructions

  1. In a large pot or Dutch oven such as Le Creuset, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Stir in the chicken stock, tomatoes, saffron, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, fill a medium pot with water, add 2 teaspoons salt, and bring to a boil. Add the orzo and cook for 7 minutes. (It will finish cooking in the soup.) Drain the orzo and add it to the soup. Stir in the cream, return the soup to a simmer, and cook for 10 more minutes, stirring frequently. Serve hot with Grilled Cheese Croutons scattered top.
  3. For Grilled cheese croutons: Heat a panini grill or just a skillet Place the four slices of bread on a cutting board and brush lightly with the melted butter, being sure to butter the corners. Turn the slices over and pile Gruyere on two of the slices. Place the remaining two slices of bread on top of the Gruyere, buttered sides up. Grill the sandwiches on the panini grill for about 5 minutes, until nicely browned. Place on a cutting board, allow to rest for 1 minute, and cut into 1-inch cubes.

Notes

Adapted from Barefoot Contessa

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10 Comments

  1. Thanks I really enjoyed this soup and love that is made with canned tomatoes so you can make it all year round.

  2. I love this recipe, I usually have tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich, but I can’t wait to try making the grilled cheese croutons. My favorite comfort soup is corn chowder.

  3. I am sure you get some great produce from your Farm Andrea.

  4. LOL when do we ever have what we need for what we are craving Brett?

  5. oh, i would love to make grilled cheese croutons for lunch! we don’t have enough cheese today, maybe tomorrow.

  6. Homemade tomato soup is a staple in our house, but I love the idea of grilled cheese croutons! Yum. Thanks for linking up this week for Friday Frenzy. 😉

  7. I still love to dip my breads into soup especially a yummy grilled cheese. Thanks for stopping by BOnnie

  8. Every time I visit your recipes I immediately get hungry! =) These looks delicious and I myself love grilled and tomato soup and am one that dips my sandwich in my soup 😉 I will definitely try this now. Thanks for sharing.

  9. Yum, that looks yummy!! I’ll have to pull out the panini press for this one!! Love it!!

  10. this sounds wonderful.I have some tomatoe soup in the pantry so this will be lunch

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