Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup
Makes 4-ish servings
Notes:
Never let anyone tell you that sandwiches are just for lunch - we believe they can and should be eaten any time of day. In this recipe, we take store-bought tomato soup and make it a complete meal by adding an easy, veggie-laden grilled cheese. Though this is a classic lazy girl meal, we elevate the grilled cheese with some brightness and greens, but keep things simple by baking instead of grilling the grilled cheese (confusing, we know). Some of Annie’s first forays into cooking involved making sandwiches, and she quickly learned there is a science to making them: Start with good, sturdy bread as the base of your sandwich (no one likes a soggy sammie), use condiments as the glue to hold everything together, and be strategic with your layers. Here, the cheese steams the spinach, while the mayo helps the bread take on a beautiful golden hue.
A note on mayo: there’s no reason to be afraid of it! No need to eat globs of it, but a schmear here or there goes a long way to keeping sandwiches moist and helping things brown evenly.
Products recs:
Store bought tomato soup is a very personal choice and there are myriad articles devoted to this topic, but we go with Trader Joe’s or Rao’s (they recently expanded their line to soup and we’re not mad about it!).
We like a good, crusty sourdough from your neighborhood or grocery bakery, but Dave's White Bread Done Right is a great option for this meal.
Organic Valley and Harris Teeter make a nice Italian cheese blend, but good ones can be found all over.
Swaps:
Feel free to swap the spinach for a similar green like baby kale, which also comes frozen and chopped.
We like the Italian cheese with the tomato soup, but whatever grated variety you have on hand - mozzarella, cheddar, etc. - will also work fine.
Tomato soup is a classic, but any veggie-based soup would be fine here.
Add-ons:
For some extra crunch, throw a handful of croutons or some crumbled Parmesan crisps on top of the soup.
Stir some julienned or chopped basil into that soup for another pop of green.
First an extra oomph, a dollop of grainy mustard, a little Calabrian chile paste, or drizzle of hot honey would be great on the grilled cheese.
We’ve been know to add some a can of drained, quartered artichokes to the cheese mix before assembling our sandwiches.
Equipment:
Baking sheet
Parchment paper
Mixing bowl
Spatula (for schmearing)
Fish spatula (for flipping the sanwiches)
Medium pot
Cutting board
Chef or serrated knife
Ingredients:
10 ounce frozen, chopped spinach (doesn’t need to be defrosted)
1 ½ cups grated Italian cheese blend
Generous handful of grated Parmesan (~½ cup) + more for garnishing
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ ground black pepper
~2 quarts (8 cups) of prepared or store-bought tomato soup
8 slices good sourdough
Mayonnaise or spray oil for toasting bread
Assembly:
Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a sheet pan with aluminum or parchment paper if desired.
Combine your cheeses chopped spinach (no need to defrost), salt, pepper, and garlic powder into your bowl and toss to combine. Add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes if you’re feeling adventurous and your kids won’t freak out.
Schmear the larger side of each slice of bread with mayo or lightly spray with oil. Lay four pieces of bread mayo’d side down on your sheet pan, then assemble your grilled cheese: Divide the cheese mixture among those four slices of bread, then top each with piece with remaining slices of bread (mayo’d side up) and press down.
Transfer the sammies to the oven and bake for 5 minutes, then flip the grilled cheese (a fish spatula would work great here) and bake for another 5 minutes more, or until the sandwiches are golden and melty - about 10 minutes total.
While the grilled cheeses are toasting, pour the soup into an appropriately sized pot and bring to simmer on the stove top.
When they’re cooked to your liking, remove the grilled cheese from the oven and cut in half diagonally (the only way sandwiches should be cut in our opinion). Divide the soup evenly among four bowls, sprinkle with some grated Parmesan if desired, then serve alongside the grilled cheese. Dip and enjoy.