I don’t think this dish needs much explanation. What I love about it is it’s quick and uses ingredients most people already have on hand, and of course, it tastes great. Also. A moment for the cheese pull:

The soup portion of the recipe makes about 6 servings, and the grilled cheese portion makes one sandwich but can of course be scaled up.

Ingredients:

Tomato Soup:

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 diced onion
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 28-oz cans of whole tomatoes
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 cup half-and-half
• handful of fresh basil, plus more to garnish
• 2 tbsp freshly grated parmesan
• salt to taste
• sugar to taste (if your tomatoes are acidic)

Grilled Cheese:

• 2 slices sourdough bread
• 3-4 slices of sharp cheddar
• 2 tbsp softened unsalted butter

Directions:

1. Heat a large pan over medium heat and add the butter and olive oil. Once the butter has melted, add the diced onions along with a pinch of salt.
2. Once the onions turn translucent, add in the minced garlic. Continue cooking until the onions turn golden and the garlic is fragrant.
3. Add in the whole tomatoes (including the liquid), chicken broth, and handful of basil. Let simmer for 10 minutes, then use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth.
4. To the pureed soup, add in the half-and-half and parmesan. Give it a taste for seasoning; if you feel the soup is too acidic, add a sprinkle of sugar at a time until you are happy with the taste, but use it sparingly.
5. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with a drizzle of more half-and-half, some chopped fresh basil, and more freshly grated parmesan.
6. For the grilled cheese, add your sliced cheese on top of one slice of bread then top with the other. Spread butter generously on both sides of the bread, and cook on a skillet over medium heat until the bread is golden on both sides and the cheese is melted. Serve with the tomato soup.

You can find a video of me making this here: