Tomato Soup + Grilled Cheese Sandwich

It was 75 degrees in Orlando this weekend, and that means that fall is officially here. Sure, it was still hot because of all the sunshine (and to be honest, I was tempted to go to the pool), but we can’t ask for much cooler weather in early October.

As mentioned in a previous post, fall is my favorite time of the year, so I spent the weekend decorating for it (I went a little crazy. I’ll repent this weekend?) I put away my airy blue accessories in favor of pumpkins, citrus potpourri, and a touch of black (Halloween’s coming, after all). With the house fully decorated, all that was left was the meal.

Nothing screams “it’s getting colder!” like tomato soup. It’s rich, it’s filling, and it’s a lovely shade of fall. For this particular recipe, I suggest making the soup one day in advance so that the sugar has time to do its thing.

Tomato Soup

 

Ingredients:

• 1 garlic clove, diced
• 1/2 cup onions, diced
• 1/2 tbsp butter
• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 5 basil leaves, chopped
• 28 oz plum tomatoes
• 2 vine ripe tomatoes
• 3 tbsps Swanson Mexican Tortilla Broth
• 1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 tbsp pepper
• 2 tbsps coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp Tabasco

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, sautee garlic and onions in butter and olive oil over medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes or until tender and lightly browned. Reduce to medium heat.
2. Add both kinds to tomatoes to garlic/onion mixture and let simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Add chicken and tortilla broth. Add pepper, salt, basil leaves, and Tabasco. Cook on high heat for 2 to 3 minutes and then reduce to low heat. Cook on low heat for 15-20 minutes.
4. Remove soup from stovetop. Add soup to a blender, filling blender about 1/2 way. Pulse soup for at least 30 seconds, or until smooth.
5. Serve warm or refrigerate and serve later :).

 

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients:

• 2 slices of Italian bread
• 1 slice of cheddar cheese
• 1 slice of white cheddar cheese (or provolone)
• 1 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1/2 tbsp butter, divided

Directions:

1. Assemble sandwich.
2. Add 1/2 of the olive oil and half of the butter to a small skillet. Place skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Add the sandwich to butter/oil when butter/oil is hot. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until golden brown.
4. Add remaining butter and olive oil and flip the sandwich.
5. Repeat step 3.

 

 

On a side note, this paired perfectly with the premiere of The Flash :)!