Zesty Tomato Soup and Classic Grilled Cheese
This classic pairing cannot be ignored. Let’s dive into these classic comfort foods.
Zesty Tomato Soup
Serves 5 (1 cup servings)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 40 min
Ingredients
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup roughly chopped onion
1 Tbsp minced garlic or 1-2 smashed garlic cloves
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp dry basil
1/8-1/4 tsp crushed red chili flakes (can always add more or less for spice)
28 oz stewed canned tomatoes, diced tomatoes, or whole canned/crushed tomatoes (a little more or less is fine to match up with a whole can)
3 oz of tomato paste (usually it’s 1/2 a can)
2 cups vegetable stock (2 cups of hot water + 1 tsp vegetable soup base)
(optional) – to add an extra kick, toothpick swirl of Black Pepper Vitality essential oil
(optional) – to make it creamy, add a drizzle of heavy cream to finish
Directions
- Preheat a saucepan to medium heat.
- Add oil to pre-heat
- Sauté the onions and garlic with the oil in a large stock pot for about 5 minutes or until onions are translucent.
- Add all the dry seasonings (ground cumin, dry basil, crushed red chili flakes) and tomato paste for another minute.
- Add the vegetable stock and diced/stewed tomatoes.
- Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.
- Use your immersion blender to make the soup smooth to your liking (I actually like some chunks left in it!).
- (optional) – to add an extra kick, toothpick swirl of Black Pepper Vitality essential oil
- (optional) – to make it creamy, add a drizzle of heavy cream before serving
So the big question is… do you have a desire to instantly have grilled cheese with your tomato soup?!?! Do you top your soup with anything fun or fancy?
Classic Grilled Cheese
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 5 min
Servings: 1
Ingredients
2 slices of bread (my favorite is sourdough)
2 or 3 varieties of sliced cheese or shredded/grated cheese (the more variety, the more depth of flavor)
Butter, ghee, or oil
Directions
- Cut the piece of bread in half
- Butter two sides of the bread. This will be the OUTSIDE of the sandwich
- Preheat griddle or frying pan over medium heat
- Lay one piece of bread down on the heat, butter side down
- Layer on the cheese slices evenly
- Lay the other piece of bread on top with the butter side facing up
- Watch the heat on the pan and turn it down if needed. You do not want the bottom bread to burn, rather you want a light golden colored toast on it.
- When the cheese has started to melt, flip the sandwich over to get browning on the top slice of bread
- Watch the heat on the bottom bread. You want a nice golden toast.
My Favorite Kitchen Tools
*Want to know more about the spoon spatulas that I love? Here is the set of 5 pieces, the all-purpose spoon, the 1 tsp mini spoon, the large spoon / ladle, and the chopping spatula.
*These are affiliate links and I may earn a small commission from your purchase.
Comment below if you loved this easy recipe! Do you have any other favorite ingredients to add to grilled cheese? For a fancy twist, try adding a layer of sun dried tomatoes, pesto, and change the cheese to mozzarella. That’s a grilled caprese!
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