Grilled Cheese Tomato Soup

The classic combination of tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich on the side is a beloved favorite, but have you ever tried grilled cheese and tomato soup made in one bowl? My savory tomato soup brims with garlic and herbs, finished with golden garlic toast and a hefty sprinkle of melted cheese. This grilled cheese tomato soup recipe isn't just scrumptious—it's fun to eat!

Grilled cheese and tomato soup in one delicious bowl

Finding fun and whimsical takes on classic combinations is one of my passions, and soup is a fantastic canvas to play around with.

Many of us know and love that yummy and ultra cozy combo of a bowl of hot tomato soup with an accompaniment of a grilled cheese sandwich on the side for dipping. But what if that grilled cheese was actually in that bowl of tomato soup?

You'd have this mouthwatering grilled cheese tomato soup, made with my rich homemade tomato soup base brimming with fresh herbs, topped off with several small slices of toasted garlic baguette and a generous sprinkle of cheese, then broiled until melted!

This tasty and fun-to-eat soup is not only hearty and nourishing, but loaded with lots of comfy-coziness in every bite. Each spoonful has a bite of grilled cheese in it to go along with that warming and cozy tomato soup!

My recipe for grilled cheese tomato soup

Finding inspiration in other recipes and tweaking them a bit to turn them into something completely different is something I really enjoy. This grilled cheese tomato soup gets a bit of that “inspo” from my classic French onion soup, with its toasted bread topped with broiled Gruyere cheese.

That presentation works really well with this particular soup, because I create a velvety tomato soup base then top with toasted, garlic-rubbed slices of baguette sprinkled with lots of gooey cheese to create the grilled cheese sandwich component.

Each spoonful of this soup has a scrumptious bite of toast with cheese and tomato soup, with no need to keep 'em separate, and no need for dipping!

I like to use dried and fresh herbs when preparing the tomato soup portion of the recipe, a good amount of garlic, whole San Marzano tomatoes (canned), tomato paste, plus a small sprinkle of parmesan cheese at the end before blending.

The flavor is rich, robust and deliciously tomato-y, a real comfort in every bowlful.

All I do to finish things off is toast some baguette slices, rub them very lightly with a garlic clove (totally optional if you don’t prefer garlic), add several slices to individual bowls of soup, then top with cheese and broil for a moment.

The result is ooey-gooey, cheesy deliciousness in a bowl—truly the perfect form of comfort food!

Here's a sneak peek at my grilled cheese tomato soup recipe: (or just jump to the full recipe...)

1. To get started, I prepare my tomato soup.
2. Next, I toast slices of baguette under the broiler for a moment or two, then rub with a garlic clove for added flavor.
3. To assemble, I ladle the tomato soup into oven-safe bowls, top with 2 or 3 slices of garlicky, toasted baguette, sprinkle those generously with some Italian four cheese blend.
4. I then broil each bowlful just until the cheese is melted, and enjoy while ooey-gooey and hot!

Recipe

Grilled Cheese Tomato Soup

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

This grilled cheese tomato soup is our favorite classic combination in one bowl, loaded with lots of savory and cheesy goodness!

Category: Soup
Cuisine: American

Yield: Serves 4

Nutrition Info: 517 calories per serving (with 3 slices of toasted baguette and cheese)

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 28 minutes
Total time: 48 minutes

Ingredients:

• Olive oil
• 1 white onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoons red pepper flakes, or desired amount
• Salt
• 7 large cloves garlic, 6 of them pressed through garlic press, 1 reserved
• 3 ounces tomato paste
• 1 (28 ounce) can whole, San Marzano tomatoes with juices
• 1 ounce fresh basil leaves (about ¼ cup)
• ¼ heaping cup flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 4 cups chicken stock
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• French baguette, sliced into about 12, ½ inch thick slices
• 1 to 1 ½ cups shredded, Italian-style 4 Cheese blend or mozzarella
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, for garnish

Preparation:

1. Begin by gathering and prepping all of your ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
2. Place a soup pot (about 6 quart size) over medium-high heat, and add in about 3 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Once hot, add in the diced onion and saute for few minutes until the onion begins to slightly brown.
3. Next, add in Italian seasoning, the black pepper, the red pepper flakes and a good pinch of salt, and stir to combine. Add in the garlic, and stir that in to incorporate until aromatic.
4. Once the garlic becomes aromatic (about 30 seconds or so), add in the tomato paste and allow it cook for a minute or so to cook out the raw flavor. Then, add in the canned tomatoes, the fresh basil and parsley, and the sugar, and stir to combine.
5. Then, add in the chicken stock, and simmer the soup, partially covered, for 20 minutes.
6. After the 20 minutes, turn off the heat and add in the grated parmesan, and stir. Then, using a hand-held immersion blender (or even your blender, but work in batches), puree the soup until completely smooth. Check the seasoning to see if any additional salt/pepper is needed.
7. Then, turn your oven on to “broil” (can be high, if you have that setting).
8. Next, make the garlic toasts by drizzling some oil over the baguette slices, then place them onto a baking sheet and under the broiler for a minute or two just until golden and toasty. Next rub the clove of garlic over each slice and add a pinch of salt. (You can leave your broiler on for the next step.)
9. To assemble, ladle some soup into oven-safe bowls, and top each with about 2 to 3 garlic toasts. Sprinkle over about ¼ cup (or more) of the cheese, and place under the broiler for a minute or two just until melted and bubbly.
10. Carefully remove from oven and garnish with a sprinkle of parsley before serving.

Tips & Tidbits for my Grilled Cheese Tomato Soup recipe:

• Good quality canned, whole tomatoes: Canned, organic San Marzano tomatoes have wonderfully sweet and tangy flavor, and I love using them in this tomato soup. They're packed in a rich sauce, which provides more flavor in the soup's base. Once pureed/blended, the texture of the soup is very silky yet substantial, loaded with sweet-n-savory flavor.
• Sliced French baguette, or small slices of other rustic bread: Using a French baguette here works well, because the slices are fairly small and easy to work with when it comes to placing on top of the soup in the bowl. However, you can also use other rustic bread such as sour dough or Italian, using smaller slices, or just cut larger slices in half. You want a bread that's at least a little bit sturdy to hold up to the cheese and soup.
• Four cheese blend, or your favorite meltable cheese: I enjoy a good Italian-style four cheese blend here, but you can stick to mozzarella, cheddar, Gruyere, Jack cheese...pretty much any highly meltable cheese you like!
• Make this soup ahead: When you make any soup a day or two before you plan on serving it, it allows the flavors in the soup to intensify and marry, creating more depth of flavor. So you can easily prep the tomato soup a day or two ahead, then simply reheat it. When the soup is ready, slice the bread, toast it, rub with garlic, place it on the soup with the cheese on top, then broil and serve.

Craving more comfy-cozy soup and stew recipes? Check out my recipe for French Onion Soup, Chicken Parmesan Soup, Philly Cheese Steak Stew, Tomato Basil Soup, Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup, or my recipe for Guinness Beef Stew!

Cook's Note: This recipe was originally published in 2015, and has been updated with even more love!