Roasted Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons is creamy tomato soup topped with grilled cheese cubes, then topped with shredded Gruyere and cheddar cheese. The bowls are placed under the broiler to melt and brown the cheese, giving the dish a deliciously crispy and golden top. Very much like how French Onion Soup is served! It combines the classic flavors of grilled cheese and tomato soup, making it a comforting and flavorful meal! It all starts with my Roasted Tomato Soup, which is delicious on its own, too!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Tomatoes: Fresh tomatoes are the star of this soup, so be sure to pick out the best ones. When selecting a tomato, go for a flawless, bright red one that feels heavy and dense when picked up. Give it a gentle squeeze – it should have some give, but not be too soft. Smell it close to the stem; you want an earthy aroma for the best flavor. If it lacks scent, it won’t contribute much to the recipe.
Grilled Cheese: The grilled cheese is a simple recipe with a slice of sharp cheddar. I also have an Air Fryer Grilled Cheese recipe you could use. Or, if you are craving even more cheese, check out my Crispy Grilled Cheese Sandwich.
Cheese: In addition to the slice of cheese in the sandwich, I topped the cubes of the sandwich in the soup with shredded Gruyere and sharp cheddar cheese. Then, I broiled the soup for a couple of minutes until the cheese was hot and bubbly.
What Are The Best Bowls For Serving Roasted Tomato Soup?
Since this recipe is broiling the cheese directly in the serving dish, use oven-safe bowls or ramekins. If you are not planning to broil the cheese, you can use any sort of decorative soup bowl or even a mug for a neat presentation.
Can I Make Roasted Tomato Soup Ahead Of Time?
Yes, you can make the roasted tomato soup in advance to save time when ready to assemble the bowls. Once you have the tomato soup made, let it cool completely. Then, store the soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. When ready to put together the bowls, heat the soup on the stovetop while you make the grilled cheese sandwiches.
Can I Roast Vegetables in an Air Fryer?
Yes, you can roast the tomatoes, onion, and garlic in an air fryer instead of the oven. I would opt for no bigger than a Roma tomato when using the air fryer in this recipe. To get started, preheat the air fryer to 400°F and line the basket with parchment paper. Then, it’s time to roast the veggies.
- Wash the tomatoes by gently rubbing them under running water. Cut each tomato in half and lay them cut side up in the lined basket. (Don’t worry about removing the stem or peeling the tomatoes for now; it is easy to do after roasting them.)
- Add the onion wedges and peeled garlic cloves into the basket.
- Drizzle the vegetables with olive oil. Then, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and sugar.
- Roast in the air fryer for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables have completely softened.
Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may have to work in batches.
How To Store Roasted Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons
Although best served fresh, you can store leftovers if needed. To store grilled cheese roasted tomato soup, I recommend storing the grilled cheese cubes separately from the soup. Otherwise, the texture will get soggy. The soup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Store cubes of grilled cheese in a separate container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. Reheat the soup on the stovetop while reheating the grilled cheese cubes in the oven or in an air fryer to crisp them up again.
Roasted Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons
Ingredients
Soup
- 6 medium tomatoes, halved
- 1 small yellow onion, cut into wedges
- 5 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups (360 g) chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
- ¼ cup (59.5 g) heavy cream
- ¼ cup (25 g) parmesan cheese, grated
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
Grilled Cheese Croutons
- 4 slices bread
- ¼ cup (½ stick / 57 g) butter, divided
- 2 slices sharp cheddar cheese, divided
- 1 ¼ cups (141 g) Gruyere cheese, finely shredded, divided
- 1 ¼ cups (141 g) sharp cheddar cheese, finely shredded, divided
- basil, chopped for garnish
Instructions
Soup
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- To the lined baking sheet, add tomatoes (cut side up), onions, and garlic.
- Drizzle the entire sheet with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and sugar.
- Roast for 45 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened completely. After they have cooled a bit, peel the tomatoes.
- While the tomatoes are roasting, prepare the grilled cheese sandwiches.
- Butter each slice of bread on one side.
- In a non-stick skillet over low heat, add one slice of bread (buttered side down). Top with 1 slice of cheese and another slice of bread (buttered side up).
- Cook for about 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and the cheese is melted.
- Remove the sandwich from the pan. Repeat steps to make the second sandwich.
- Cut each grilled cheese sandwich into ½-inch cubes, or about 16 pieces each. Set aside.
- After peeling the roasted tomatoes and removing any stems, add the roasted vegetables to a large pot.
- Add chicken broth and basil. Blend with an immersion blender and set over medium heat.
- Add the heavy cream, parmesan, and garlic salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until the soup is warmed through and the cheese has melted.
- Arrange the oven rack to the top middle position and set the oven to broil.
- Place 5 small (6 ounces each) oven-safe bowls or ramekins on a large baking sheet. Divide the soup evenly into each of the 5 bowls and top each with 6-7 grilled cheese croutons, then ¼ cup of Gruyere, and then ¼ cup sharp cheddar.
- Place the bowls of soup under the broiler for 2-3 minutes, or until the cheese bubbles and browns, watching carefully.
- Cool slightly before serving.
Video
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What the Test Kitchen had to say about this recipe:
Autumn
I can't believe I never thought to make soup like this! The grilled cheese layer is to die for! So much flavor and texture in every bite. Now this is how you add a fancy touch to tomato soup!
Elizabeth
Love it! What a creative way to enjoy a grilled cheese with tomato soup. Plus, there is extra cheese on top! This will impress your guests and your taste buds!
Rachael
Such a cute presentation. Also an amazing way to eat the classic combination of grilled cheese and tomato soup! This would be a beautiful way to serve guests that would be sure to wow.
Annabelle
This is such a fun way to make this classic dish! I would absolutely make this at home, and it would be perfect for a dinner party starter!
Bella
Roasted tomatoes are a game changer when it comes to this soup! Tomato soup and grilled cheese are a classic combination. The soup is flavorful, slightly sweet, and cheesy all at the same time! This soup is a must-try!
Selena
Oh my. I already love tomato soup and grilled cheese, but this just leveled up. Roasting the veggies in the soup and then making the grilled cheese croutons and broiling it??? Brilliant. So cute. LOVE IT.
I assume we can’t freeze this due to the heavy cream. Can I portion out the soup for serving two and add cream to that and freeze the rest?
Can dried basil be substituted for fresh basil? If so, how much should be used?
How do I make the grilled cheese croutons. I want to use my air fryer.
The directions are in the recipe card. For an air fryer you can make the sandwich, heat in air fryer, then cut into cubes and put back into airfryer.