MY GRILLED CHEESE AND TOMATO SOUP

My Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup image

Provided by Vail Bee

Time 50m

Number Of Ingredients 21

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TOMATO SOUP
3 Tbsp butter
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, diced
1 stalk(s) celery, diced
2 can(s) crushed tomatoes (28 oz each)
2 clove garlic, minced (or to taste)
1 bay leaf
1/4 c fresh basil, chopped
6 sprig(s) parsley
4 c vegetable stock
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 c heavy cream
salt and pepper, to taste
GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICHES
1 loaf sliced sourdough bread (or small loaves for mini sandwiches)
sliced Fontina
sliced Gruyere
sliced aged cheddar
sliced Manchego
butter

Steps:

1. Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a large pot. Saute onion, garlic, and celery until soft.
2. Add tomatoes, parsley, carrots, bay leaf, and stock. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce heat to a simmer and cover the pot.
3. Skim the top of any fat or froth, if desired. Remove parsley and bay leaf and blend the soup in batches of 2 cups or so or use an immersion blender.
4. Add heavy cream, thyme, basil, and 1 Tbsp butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper. NOTE: Keeps well in the fridge.
5. For the grilled cheese, butter one side of each slice of bread. (It's important to butter the bread and not the pan so that the toast browns more evenly.) Put an even amount of slices of each type of cheese on half of the bread slices. Top each with a second bread slice to form your sandwiches. Grill on a flat pan or use panini press or personal-size grill for about 5-7 minutes.
6. Dip sandwich in soup and enjoy!!