Roasted Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese (Printable)

Creamy roasted tomato soup topped with crispy, bite-sized grilled cheese croutons. A comforting classic that's ready in just one hour.

# What You'll Need:

→ Roasted Tomato Soup

01 - 1.5 lbs ripe tomatoes, halved
02 - 1 medium onion, quartered
03 - 4 garlic cloves, peeled
04 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
05 - 1 teaspoon salt
06 - 0.5 teaspoon black pepper
07 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme or basil
08 - 2 cups vegetable broth
09 - 1 tablespoon tomato paste
10 - 1 teaspoon sugar
11 - 0.5 cup heavy cream or whole milk

→ Grilled Cheese Croutons

12 - 4 slices sandwich bread
13 - 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, sliced or shredded
14 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

# Method:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F
02 - Arrange tomatoes cut side up, onion, and garlic on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and thyme or basil.
03 - Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until tomatoes are soft and caramelized.
04 - Transfer roasted vegetables including any juices to a large pot. Add vegetable broth, tomato paste, and sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
05 - Using an immersion blender, blend soup until smooth. Stir in cream or milk if desired. Adjust seasoning as needed. Keep warm over low heat.
06 - Butter one side of each bread slice. Place cheese between two slices, buttered sides out. Heat a skillet over medium heat and cook sandwiches until golden brown and cheese is melted, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Let cool slightly, then cut into 1-inch cubes.
07 - Serve soup hot, topped with grilled cheese croutons.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The roasting process turns ordinary tomatoes into something sweet and smoky that tastes nothing like canned soup.
  • Grilled cheese croutons solve the eternal question of whether to dip or not, you just float them right in.
  • Everything comes together in about an hour with minimal chopping and almost no babysitting required.
02 -
  • Do not skip roasting the tomatoes, I tried making this with raw tomatoes once and it tasted flat and watery no matter how much I seasoned it.
  • Let the grilled cheese cool for a minute before cutting or the cheese will ooze out everywhere and you will lose half your croutons to the cutting board.
  • If your soup tastes too acidic, add the optional teaspoon of sugar, it does not make it sweet but balances the tomatoes perfectly.
03 -
  • Use a rimmed baking sheet for roasting so the tomato juices do not drip into your oven and burn.
  • If you do not have an immersion blender, let the soup cool for 10 minutes before blending in batches so it does not explode out of the blender lid.
  • Press down gently on the grilled cheese with a spatula while cooking to help the cheese melt evenly and the bread crisp up.
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