Nothing screams comfort food like a soup and sandwich combo, am I right? Now that soup season is here, what better way to kick it off than with this classic pairing: Roasted Tomato Basil Soup & Grilled Cheese.
I know I’m not the only one who grew up on the nostalgic version made with Campbell’s Tomato Soup with Kraft Singles melted between two pieces of Wonder Bread. Although that’ll forever hold a special place in my little foodie heart, I’m happy to say I’ve come up with a dietitian-approved, better-for-you take on it to add to all of our recipe collections.
I love this combo so much, I had to include it in my cookbook, Rachael’s Good Eats. (Except I leveled it up a bit to make it a Grilled Turkey and Cheese Sandwich – yum!)
COZY, TASTY AND NOURISHING ROASTED TOMATO BASIL SOUP
Bold statement: there’s no way you’re not going to love my Roasted Tomato Basil Soup & Grilled Cheese.
Soup is my go-to when I want to feel nourished-from-within, and this tomato soup is a shining example of that. Packed with several micronutrients like folate, potassium, vitamins C + K, and antioxidants like lycopene and flavonoids, tomatoes help to support heart, bone, skin and eye health.
And let’s be honest, tomatoes are just so cozy and tasty when roasted and blended into a soup with all the other delicious aromatics like garlic cloves, onion, oregano, basil, and my favorite sneaky ingredient, balsamic vinegar. Ok, now my mouth is watering!
This dietitian-approved version substitutes coconut milk for the dairy, to keep that creamy texture we all know and love, plus some vegetable broth for added nutrients and flavor.
A DELICIOUS DUO
Let’s take a moment to talk about the Grilled Cheese. Hot and melty, cheesy and toasty, and the perfect complement to the tomato soup, I’m not sure which is the better half of this delicious duo.
I’m lactose-intolerant so I like to use shredded, hard goat cheese since I find it easier to digest, but you can definitely sub whichever cheese you prefer – vegan works too! Same goes for the bread. No matter what, you can’t go wrong.
This Roasted Tomato Basil Soup & Grilled Cheese combo is giving all the cozy feels, and makes for the best lunch or dinner any day, for kids and adults alike.
I love that you can easily store a batch of the soup in the fridge for later in the week (or months in the freezer). And, it’s so easy to make, you’ll never want to go back to the canned stuff again. So many wins. Enjoy guys; happy soup season!
INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED:
Tomato Basil Soup:
- Vine-on or Roma tomatoes
- Garlic cloves
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Sea salt
- Avocado oil
- White onion
- Dried oregano
- Balsamic vinegar
- Vegetable stock or broth
- Coconut milk
- Fresh basil leaves
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Garlic powder
- Red chili flakes, for serving (optional)
Grilled Cheese:
- Softened ghee or grass-fed butter
- Sourdough bread or bread of choice (gluten-free if needed)
- Shredded cheese of choice (I use hard goat cheese)
HOW TO MAKE MY ROASTED TOMATO BASIL SOUP & GRILLED CHEESE
Roasted Tomato Basil Soup:
Preheat the oven to 425 F.
Place the quartered tomatoes and the garlic cloves on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt; toss to coat. Arrange the tomatoes cut-side up, and roast for 45 minutes or until the tomato skins start to char and wilt.
As the tomatoes roast, heat the avocado oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes, until softened. Then, add the oregano and cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar and cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in the stock and coconut milk, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer while the tomatoes finish in the oven, 30 to 45 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat.
Using tongs, transfer the roasted tomatoes to the pot containing the broth mixture. Add the basil, additional salt, black pepper, and garlic powder, and use an immersion blender to blend the mixture until completely smooth. (You can also do this in a countertop blender, working in very small batches.)
Note: Be careful! Steam escapes violently from hot liquids when they’re blended in an enclosed container, potentially resulting in the lid being blown off the container – hot soup exploding everywhere – and burned skin. You can avoid this mishap by not filling the blender container more than halfway, and covering the container with a kitchen towel instead of a lid to let steam escape.
Set the soup aside, covered, until ready to serve.
Grilled Cheese:
Heat a medium-sized skillet over medium heat.
Spread ghee on a slice of bread, and place the bread in the hot skillet, ghee side down. Top bread with shredded cheese.
Spread ghee on another slice of bread, and place it on top of the shredded cheese, ghee-side up. Press down on the sandwich firmly with a spatula, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cover. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the bottom slice of bread is golden, and flip the sandwich. Cover and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, until browned on the second side.
Transfer the sandwich to a cutting board, and cut in half if you’d like.
To Serve and Store:
To serve, top the soup with additional basil, black pepper, and chili flakes, and pair with the grilled cheese for dipping. Enjoy!
To store – once cooled, transfer the soup to an airtight container and place in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
RECIPE SUBSTITUTIONS & QUESTIONS
For the soup, I like to use a vegetable broth or stock, but you could use chicken bone broth for a little protein boost (or chicken stock), or even water instead. Water will lend less flavor, but it’s an option if you’re in a pinch! If no dairy restrictions, feel free to sub the coconut milk for whole dairy milk, or heavy cream.
For the sandwich, option to use whichever cheese you’d like, shredded or sliced, or vegan. For the bread, I love making with a sourdough, but again, whichever bread (can be gluten-free) you prefer will work.
It’s nearly impossible for me not to serve some sort of Grilled Cheese sandwich with my tomato soup, but there are plenty of options if you want to switch it up. For a lighter meal, you could try simply topping with my Homemade Garlic Croutons, or crumbling your favorite crackers over top. A garlic bread would also be delish for dipping. Or, try pairing with a salad – I think this would go well with my Caesar Salad (grab the recipe HERE) too.
WHAT TOMATOES ARE BEST FOR TOMATO SOUP?
Any vine-on or Roma tomatoes are my go-to’s, but you can substitute with small plum tomatoes. Heirloom tomatoes also work. If you’re not going the fresh tomato route, you can use canned tomatoes (such as San Marzano), which is a good option for making tomato soup year-round.
DO YOU HAVE TO PEEL TOMATOES FOR TOMATO SOUP?
It’s really a matter of preference. I tend to leave the skin on, and keep the seeds in the tomatoes I use for my tomato soup, but you can remove both if you’d like. If you want an extra smooth and silky soup, or don’t like the texture of the skins, you can use peeled tomatoes.
LOOKING FOR MORE SOUP AND SANDWICH RECIPES?
High-Protein Chicken Caesar Wrap
Rich & Creamy Potato and Leek Soup
Toasty Baguette Steak Sandwiches with Chimichurri
Grilled Honey Chipotle Chicken & Avo Melts
Sausage, White Bean & Kale Soup
Roasted Tomato Basil Soup & Grilled Cheese
Equipment
- baking sheet
- large pot
- medium-sized skillet
- Immersion blender or countertop blender
Ingredients
Tomato Basil Soup:
- 4 pounds vine-on or Roma tomatoes, quartered
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons sea salt, plus more, to taste
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 medium white onion, diced
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 4 cups vegetable stock or broth
- ¼ cup coconut milk
- 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped, plus more, for serving
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more, for serving
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Red chili flakes, for serving (optional)
Grilled Cheese:
- Softened ghee or grass-fed butter
- 2 slices sourdough bread or bread of choice, gluten-free if needed
- 1 cup shredded cheese of choice, I use hard goat cheese
Instructions
Tomato Basil Soup:
- Preheat the oven to 425 F.
- Place the quartered tomatoes and the garlic cloves on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt; toss to coat. Arrange the tomatoes cut-side up, and roast for 45 minutes or until the tomato skins start to char and wilt.
- As the tomatoes roast, heat the avocado oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes, until softened. Add the oregano and cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar and cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in the stock and coconut milk, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer while the tomatoes finish in the oven, 30 to 45 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat.
- Using tongs, transfer the roasted tomatoes to the pot containing the broth mixture. Add the basil, additional salt, black pepper, and garlic powder, and use an immersion blender to blend the mixture until completely smooth. (You can also do this in a countertop blender, working in very small batches.)NOTE: Be careful! Steam escapes violently from hot liquids when they’re blended in an enclosed container, potentially resulting in the lid being blown off the container – hot soup exploding everywhere – and burned skin. You can avoid this mishap by not filling the blender container more than halfway, and covering the container with a kitchen towel instead of a lid to let steam escape.
- Set the soup aside, covered, until ready to serve.
Grilled Cheese:
- Heat a medium-sized skillet over medium heat.
- Spread ghee on a slice of bread, and place the bread in the hot skillet, ghee side down. Top bread with shredded cheese.
- Spread ghee on another slice of bread, and place it on top of the shredded cheese, ghee-side up. Press down on the sandwich firmly with a spatula, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cover. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the bottom slice of bread is golden, and flip the sandwich. Cover and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, until browned on the second side.
- Transfer the sandwich to a cutting board, and cut in half if you’d like.
To Serve and Store:
- To serve, top the soup with additional basil, black pepper, and chili flakes, and pair with the grilled cheese for dipping. Enjoy!
- To store – once cooled, transfer the soup to an airtight container and place in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Always make this on cold snowy nights!