Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese and Bacon Croutons

What’s better than Homemade Tomato Soup? How about Homemade Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese and Bacon Croutons? Even better, it’s all ready in under 15 minutes.

Growing up, my favorite rainy day lunch was a bowl of tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich on the side. My mom usually used canned tomato soup but she made it with milk instead of water. It was so rich and creamy.

Today’s tomato soup recipe is nearly as quick as one from a can but it’s homemade. It’s creamy, just like my mom’s version, because I’ve added a touch of heavy cream at the very end.

The thing that makes this soup really special are the Grilled Cheese and Bacon Croutons. When you scoop up soup, grilled cheese and bacon comes along with it. The croutons soak up a bit of soup but they also leave behind toasty crumbs so the whole bowl gets sprinkled with grilled cheese and bacon flavor.

The SouperTip that makes this recipe delicious so quickly is the use of a slurry. A slurry is a mixture of a starch (like cornstarch or flour) and water that you add to liquids to make them thicker.

You know how canned tomato soup has a slightly gelatinous texture, that extra body that differentiates it from tomato juice? To create that you dissolve cornstarch in water (the slurry) and then add it to the warm soup. When the soup comes to a simmer it thickens a bit to achieve the desired body.

To this soup you can then optionally add some heavy cream for a richer flavor. That adds some extra body too.

And now, here’s my Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese and Bacon Croutons recipe.

Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese and Bacon Croutons

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• Author: Christine Pittman
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings

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Description

Homemade tomato soup doesn’t take much longer than tomato soup from a can. Learn how to make it quickly here. To make this soup in under 15 minutes, first read through the recipe. As you read gather together all of the tools, pots, pans and ingredients that you’ll need. This is so that everything is at your fingertips when you start. Do not prep any ingredients at this stage. All of the prep is contained within the instructions and is included in the 15 minutes of the recipe. Yield 8 cups.

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Ingredients

• 3 cups low or no-sodium chicken broth
• 2 (28 oz.) cans diced tomatoes
• 1 tsp. sugar (or more to taste)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
• a pinch of cayenne pepper
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 slices of bread
• 2 tsp. butter
• 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 2 slices pre-cooked bacon
• 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp. water
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

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Instructions

1. Put a large pot or Dutch oven over high heat. Add the chicken broth, diced tomatoes, sugar, salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne. Cover. Peel and chop the garlic. Add it to the pot. Stir and cover. Stir occasionally until it reaches a simmer. Reduce heat to low.
2. Meanwhile, put a large skillet over medium heat. Butter one side of each piece of bread. Put the bread slices butter-side-down in a single layer in the skillet. Top each with 1/4 cup of cheese. Break the bacon slices in half and arrange it in a single layer on one of the pieces of bread. Cover the skillet and cook until the bread is toasted and the cheese is melted. Keep your eye on the bottom of the bread to make sure it doesn’t burn. You may have to reduce the heat if it’s toasting too quickly.
3. When the bread is toasted underneath and the cheese is melted remove from the skillet. Stack the two breads into a sandwich with cheese and bacon in the middle. Cut the sandwich into 5 strips and then cut each strip into 5 squares.
4. Once the soup has reached a simmer, combine the cornstarch and water. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup to the desired texture. Stir in the cornstarch and water mixture. Return soup to a simmer. Remove from heat and stir in the cream. Ladle into bowls and top each serving with 6-7 grilled cheese croutons.

40318.7 g1887.2 mg21.7 g42.7 g15.4 g58.4 mg