Some dinners are famous because they are complicated. This one is famous because two simple things are done properly at the same time: a grilled cheese with a shattering golden crust and cheese that pulls in long strands when you lift a half, and a smooth, deep-red tomato soup that tastes roasted rather than merely boiled. The photograph is the whole brief - the sandwiches in front, cut and leaning so the cheese spills out, and the big bowl of soup behind them, dusted with black pepper and ready for dunking.
Roasting is what separates this soup from the canned kind. Fresh tomatoes, onion and garlic go into a hot oven until their edges darken and their juices thicken, and that caramelised sweetness survives blending, so the soup needs no sugar and only a splash of cream. It is the same weeknight logic as our creamy tomato tortellini soup, but stripped back to the classic pairing every diner in America understands.
The sandwiches get equal respect. Sturdy white bread, butter on the outside, and a two-cheese filling - sharp cheddar for flavour and low-moisture mozzarella for the pull you can see in the picture - cooked low and slow enough for the centre to melt before the crust scorches. Make the soup first; it waits happily on a back burner while the sandwiches crisp. Browse the rest of our Easy Dinners for more nights like this one.
Roast the tomatoes, do not just simmer them
Raw tomatoes simmered in stock make a thin, sharp soup. Roasted tomatoes make a different one entirely: the heat drives off water, concentrates the sugars and adds the browned edges that read as depth in the finished bowl. Cut the tomatoes in halves or quarters so the cut sides face up, season them well, and do not crowd the tray - crowding steams them, and steamed tomatoes never caramelise. The garlic roasts in its skin alongside and squeezes out sweet and mellow, nothing like raw garlic's bite.
The two-cheese rule for a proper pull
Cheddar alone tastes great but breaks into short, greasy strands; mozzarella alone pulls beautifully and tastes of almost nothing. Together, in roughly equal parts, you get both - the flavour of a mature cheddar carried in mozzarella's long, elastic melt, exactly the spill running down the front sandwich in the photograph. Grate both cheeses rather than slicing them: grated cheese melts evenly to the edges, so no corner of the sandwich stays stubbornly solid while the middle runs.
Ingredients
- 3 lb ripe tomatoes, halved (1360 g)
- 1 medium yellow onion, cut into wedges (150 g)
- 6 garlic cloves, unpeeled (18 g)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil (45 ml)
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (6 g)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (2 g), plus more to serve
- 2 cups vegetable or chicken stock (480 ml)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (120 ml)
- 8 slices sturdy white sandwich bread (320 g)
- 4 tablespoons softened butter (56 g)
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (230 g)
- 2 cups shredded low-moisture mozzarella (230 g)
Amounts are for the yield below. US customary measures first, grams in brackets for scale users.
Step-by-step instructions
- Roast the tomatoes. Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Spread the tomatoes cut-side up on a rimmed baking sheet with the onion wedges and unpeeled garlic. Drizzle with the olive oil, scatter over the salt and pepper, and roast for 30 to 35 minutes until the tomatoes slump and their edges darken.
- Blend the soup. Squeeze the roasted garlic from its skins into a blender with the tomatoes, onion and every drop of pan juice. Add the stock and blend until completely smooth, about 1 minute. Pour into a saucepan - it should be a deep, brick red, like the bowl in the photograph.
- Finish the soup. Stir in the cream and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the salt; a pinch more pepper on top of each bowl is how the soup is served in the picture. Keep warm over the lowest heat while you make the sandwiches.
- Build the sandwiches. Butter one side of every bread slice. Flip four slices over and pile each with a quarter of the cheddar and mozzarella mixed together, right to the edges. Top with the remaining bread, buttered side out.
- Grill low and slow. Cook the sandwiches in a large skillet over medium-low heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side, pressing once with a spatula, until the crust is deep golden and crisp and the cheese has fully melted. Rush this over high heat and the bread scorches before the centre melts.
- Rest, cut and serve. Rest the sandwiches for 1 minute - this sets the cheese just enough to pull rather than pour - then cut each in half and lean the halves together as pictured. Ladle the soup into bowls, finish with black pepper and a thyme sprig if you have one, and serve at once for dunking.
Nutrition estimate
| Nutrient | Per serving |
|---|---|
| Calories | 512 kcal |
| Protein | 21 g |
| Carbohydrates | 38 g |
| Fat | 31 g |
| Saturated fat | 16 g |
| Sodium | 940 mg |
| Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 11 g |
Nutrition figures are estimates calculated from standard ingredient data for the yield stated. Your actual values will vary with brands, substitutions and portion sizes — treat them as a guide, not a guarantee.
Storage & reheating
The soup keeps in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and freezes well for up to 3 months; thaw overnight and reheat gently without boiling, which can split the cream. Grilled cheese is best made fresh, but leftovers re-crisp well in a dry skillet over low heat for 3 minutes per side, or in an air fryer at 350°F (177°C) for 4 minutes. Nutrition values are estimates and will vary with the bread and cheeses used.
Easy Grilled Cheese with Roasted Tomato Soup
Crisp golden sandwiches, a serious cheese pull, and a smooth roasted tomato soup for dunking.
Ingredients
Tick ingredients off as you prep, and tap a step below to mark it done as you cook. Scaling adjusts the listed amounts - seasoning to taste stays your call.
Instructions
- Roast the tomatoes. Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Spread the tomatoes cut-side up on a rimmed baking sheet with the onion wedges and unpeeled garlic. Drizzle with the olive oil, scatter over the salt and pepper, and roast for 30 to 35 minutes until the tomatoes slump and their edges darken.
- Blend the soup. Squeeze the roasted garlic from its skins into a blender with the tomatoes, onion and every drop of pan juice. Add the stock and blend until completely smooth, about 1 minute. Pour into a saucepan - it should be a deep, brick red, like the bowl in the photograph.
- Finish the soup. Stir in the cream and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the salt; a pinch more pepper on top of each bowl is how the soup is served in the picture. Keep warm over the lowest heat while you make the sandwiches.
- Build the sandwiches. Butter one side of every bread slice. Flip four slices over and pile each with a quarter of the cheddar and mozzarella mixed together, right to the edges. Top with the remaining bread, buttered side out.
- Grill low and slow. Cook the sandwiches in a large skillet over medium-low heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side, pressing once with a spatula, until the crust is deep golden and crisp and the cheese has fully melted. Rush this over high heat and the bread scorches before the centre melts.
- Rest, cut and serve. Rest the sandwiches for 1 minute - this sets the cheese just enough to pull rather than pour - then cut each in half and lean the halves together as pictured. Ladle the soup into bowls, finish with black pepper and a thyme sprig if you have one, and serve at once for dunking.
Recipe by Ahsan ul Haq · FryDaily. Printing? This card is designed to print cleanly on its own.
