You won’t believe how easy it is to make the best homemade, creamy tomato soup with grilled cheese and bacon croutons! Have your soup and sandwich all in one!
Cutting up a grilled cheese sandwich into croutons and adding them to your soup is wonderful, but putting bacon on the sandwich/croutons and adding them to your bowl takes this soup to a whole new level!
On a cold, rainy day, there is nothing better than a warm bowl of soup, eaten by the fire, in front of the TV, watching your favorite Netflix series. With this simple recipe, you can make a giant pot of the perfect comfort food!
How to make the best tomato soup
Add 2 tbsp butter to a large pot and over medium heat, sautee 1 clove minced garlic , 1/2 of a diced onion, and 2 diced carrots until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
Stir in 2 tbsp tomato paste and cook 2-3 minutes. Add three 14.5 ounce cans of whole tomatoes, 2 cups chicken broth, 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes.
Puree the soup in a blender or use an immersion blender.
Artzy Foodie Pro Tip: When adding hot liquid to a blender, fill only half way, use a kitchen towel to cover the small opening in the top of the blender, and use low speed. This will keep the steam from forcing the top off of the blender.
Stir in 1 cup heavy cream. Taste and season with salt, if needed. The parmesan cheese is pretty salty, so it’s best taste before adding any salt.
The croutons
For the crispy croutons, spread the outside of 4 pieces of bread with 1 tbsp mayonnaise each (or more if you like).
Mayonnaise instead of butter on the outside of the bread is the secret to the perfect crunch. In between your two slices of bread, add 1/4 cup of your favorite grated cheese or cheeses and a slice of cooked bacon.
Melt 1 tbsp butter in a skillet and toast the sandwiches on both sides until golden brown.
Artzy Foodie Pro Tip: Using a cast iron skillet to toast the sandwiches creates a nice crispy crust.
Cut your sandwich into small little croutons and serve them up with a bowl of that decadent tomato soup!
Because the croutons were toasted with mayonnaise, in butter, they are super crispy and will hold up to the soup without getting soggy. So, go ahead and toss them right in there!
If you like this recipe, you might also like: Spinach Soup
To receive more simple but delicious recipes straight to your inbox, subscribe to Artzy Foodie! And, we would be thrilled if you would follow us on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram!
Tomato Soup With Grilled Cheese and Bacon Croutons
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/2 onion diced
- 2 carrots diced
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 3 14.5 ounce cans whole tomatoes
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1 cup heavy cream
- salt to taste
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 4 slices bread
- 4 Tbsp mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup grated cheese
- 4 slices bacon cooked
Instructions
For the Tomato Soup
- In a large pot, over medium heat melt 2 tbsp butter
- Add the onion, garlic, and carrots
- Stir and cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes
- Add tomato paste, stir, and cook another 2-3 minutes
- Add the canned tomatoes, chicken broth, and parmesan cheese
- Stir together, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes
- Use an immersion blender or an upright blender and puree until smooth
- Stir in heavy cream
- Taste and add salt, if needed
- Spread 1 Tbsp mayonnaise on one side of each piece of bread
- Put half of grated cheese and two slices of bacon between two pieces of bread and the other half of the cheese and the other two slices of bacon between the other two pieces of bread
For the Grilled Cheese and Bacon Croutons
- Over medium heat, melt 1 Tbsp butter in a skillet and toast the sandwiches on both sides
- Cut each sandwich into 16 croutons
- Serve soup with croutons
3 Responses
I absolutely LOVE these little grilled cheese croutons that go with your tomato soup. What a splendid idea!! This is a perfect way to eat grilled cheese and tomato soup. Which how could you ever have one without the other? AMAZING! Thanks for sharing.
I absolutely love the idea of grilled cheese & bacon croutons. This is fabulous!
Thank you, Kristy!