Grilled Cheese Croutons & Tomato Soup

It is impossible to think of any good meal, no matter how plain or elegant, without soup or bread in it.

~ M.F.K. Fisher

Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches may be the ultimate comfort food. Soul-satisfying simplicity. We’ve dressed this week’s 52 Sunday Suppers classic pairing up just a little bit with fresh dill and played with the classic grilled cheese by transforming an ordinary sandwich into bite-sized croutons.

I believe everyone must have at least one tomato soup and grilled cheese story.

When the Littles were first learning to slurp tomato soup, we told them picking up their bowl and tilting it just so to get the very last drop was called The Texas Tip. Dipping the oft-rejected crust from the grilled cheese into the richness of the hot bowl of soup we dubbed The Texas Dip. We’ve never gone as far as to name the process the Texas Dip & Tip, but I’ve got new material now for our next tomato soup and grilled cheese supper.

Mia tells another tomato soup story. One that dives a little deeper into our family’s long-line of stories. As a young girl, she recalls sipping a savory, chilled tomato soup drink ~ probably a bloody mary minus the mary ~ from her great Aunt Rose’s tiny tomato glass cups. Aunt Rose served the tomato drinks to guests visiting her tea room passed on a large doily covered tray. The glass straws, some clear others red, were naturally my mother’s favorite part.

Dozens of Aunt Rose’s vintage glass tomato cups and straws rest carefully wrapped in yellowed tissue in our entry hall armoire. Mia handed down these delicate pieces of our past and it seems a shame not to share their whimsey more often. I asked the girls to help me make our tomato soup and grilled cheese supper this week. Their “sure, mom” attitude quickly became replaced with questions and stories of Aunt Rose and her tea room.

While we sipped soup, mysteriously flavored with equal parts past and present, from the delicate tomato glasses, I smiled contently, realizing that we were making so much more than a meal. . .

Susie is sharing one of our favorite tomato soup recipes from Dallas food legend Paula Lambert. Tomato Soup with Dilled Havarti is in my trusty copy of The Cheese Lover’s Cookbook which Lambert wrote after years of running her famous cheese factory, The Mozzarella Company. The girls and I made grilled cheese sandwiches with creamy Havarti cheese tucked between slices of sourdough bread. We brushed the bread with olive oil heavily seasoned with coarse sea salt and pepper for a perfect grill. We used a panini maker, but these sandwiches will grill just as delicious in a pan. I added slices of prosciutto to some of the sandwiches just for grins {and to make Husband happy}.

What tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwich story will you share with your family this week?

We’d love for you to tell your soup & sammie story on our 52 Sunday Suppers Facebook page. Come join our Facebook community for conversation starters, mealtime prayers and other tips & inspiration Susie and I post throughout the week.

Week Seven Menu

Tomato Soup

&

Grilled Cheese Croutons

Happy Sunday, friends!

Grilled Cheese Croutons

Print Recipe

Classic grilled cheese sandwiches with a twist. Cubed into bite-sized morsels of melted cheese and arranged on a simple wooden skewer, grilled cheese croutons are a whimsical way to serve everyone’s favorite comfort food.

• Author: Kristin Schell

Ingredients

• Sourdough bread
• Melting cheese such as Havarti or Fontina
• Olive oil
• Sea salt
• Pepper
• Prosciutto slices {optional}

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Instructions

1. In a small dish, mix olive oil, sea salt and pepper.
2. Generously brush one side of each slice of bread with olive oil mixture.
3. Place slices of cheese between bread. Add prosciutto, if using.
4. Using a panini grill or stovetop pan, grill sandwiches until cheese is fully melted and bread is golden.
5. Slice sandwiches into 2-inch cubes and arrange on wooden skewers.
6. Serve with tomato soup.