Spicy Tomato Basil Soup with Italian Grilled Cheese Dippers

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Overhead photo of soup and sandwich served on a plate

Bring your soup and sandwich game to a new level with this Spicy Tomato Basil Soup with Italian Grilled Cheese Dippers.

Overhead photo of soup and sandwich served on a plate

A Comfort Food Classic: Tomato Soup and a Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Growing up, a very simple meal we would have on occasion (as did many of us), was tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. There was nothing fancy here. Canned tomato soup and Velveeta cheese slices on toasted white bread.

So, as an adult, this meal never really had an appeal for me. That all changed in one weekend lunch with my husband.

The restaurant we were at had a lovely patio with a beautiful view of one of our local rivers. Almost everything on the menu sounded fantastic, but the thing that caught my eye was a lobster grilled cheese. It had chunks of lobster, dill Havarti cheese, truffle oil and it was served with a tomato basil soup.

The sandwich was amazing, and much to my surprise, the soup was fantastic as well! It brought tomato soup and grilled cheese to a whole new level. The soup was so good that I decided I had to give it a try at home.

The ingredient to make the soup and the sandwich

Preparing the Recipe

Making the Spicy Tomato Basil Soup

This really is a pretty simple tomato basil soup recipe. The ingredients to prepare this soup are likely already in your kitchen or easily found at the local grocery store. I used fresh tomatoes, fresh garlic, chicken stock (you can use vegetable stock, if you prefer), parmesan cheese, a touch of half and half and of course, basil.

And, the soup I had at the restaurant was definitely a spicy tomato soup. So, I added red pepper flakes to mine to give it a little heat.

The result was delicious! My family doesn’t normally like tomato soup, but they loved this creamy tomato soup and ate every last bite! 

Making the Italian Grilled Cheese Dippers

I did not forget about the sandwich. Dipping a grilled cheese sandwich into a hot bowl of homemade tomato soup is pretty much a must. 

While the restaurant has an absolutely delicious lobster grilled cheese, we know lobster can get pricey. So, I wanted something a little more affordable and accessible, but still fun and interesting. That’s where I came up with the idea of an Italian Grilled Cheese Sandwich (“Dipper”).

I do like a high quality bread that can stand up to being dipped in a soup. So, I bought some artisan sourdough bread (always a favorite of mine).

I used garlic butter for toasting the outside of the bread and filled the sandwiches with a combination of parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Once toasted, they were amazing and perfectly complemented the soup.

This recipe is a wonderful way to bring your soup and sandwich game to a new level. It’s become one of our favorite recipes and I know it will become one of yours also.

More Soup and Sandwich Combos to Enjoy

Tips and Tricks

  • Fresh tomatoes are best for this recipe, but in a pinch substitute canned tomatoes.
  • I prefer using half and half to keep the soup from becoming too heavy, but substitute heavy cream if that’s what you have on hand. 
  • Any leftover soup can be stored in an airtight container and stored in the refrigerator for 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
  • To make sure the cheese in the sandwiches gets totally melted and the bread doesn’t burn, do not go above medium heat on the stove.

Ingredients Needed to Make Spicy Tomato Basil Soup

Full instructions can be found below in the printable recipe card

  • Fresh tomatoes
  • Fresh garlic
  • Crushed red pepper
  • Olive oil
  • Salt
  • Black pepper
  • Shredded or grated parmesan cheese
  • Chicken stock
  • Half and half
  • Fresh basil leaves

How to Make Spicy Tomato Basil Soup

  • Heat oil in a large pot over medium low heat.
  • Add garlic and crushed red pepper.
  • Add tomatoes to pan and increase heat to medium.
  • Season with salt and pepper.
  • Cook until tomatoes have cooked down, stirring occasionally.
  • Puree tomatoes in the pot with an immersion blender or ladle into a blender to puree.
  • Stir cheese into tomatoes and continue stirring until melted.
  • Stir in chicken stock and bring to a boil.
  • Once soup has come to a boil, stir in half and half.
  • Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes.
  • Stir in chopped basil right before serving.

Ingredients Needed to Make Italian Grilled Cheese Dippers

Full instructions can be found below in the printable recipe card

  • Sourdough bread – Make sure it is good quality to ensure the best tasting dippers.
  • Butter
  • Fresh garlic
  • Shredded mozzarella cheese
  • Shredded parmesan cheese

How to Make Italian Grilled Cheese Dippers

  • Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat.
  • In a small bowl, combine garlic with softened butter.
  • Spread butter on one side of each slice of bread.
  • Then flip over and divide cheeses equally between the slices.
  • Flip half of the buttered slices of bread over and divide cheeses equally between them.
  • Top each slice with the remaining slices of buttered bread.
  • Toast each sandwich for a few minutes on each side until golden brown.
  • Serve immediately with the soup.

ENJOY!

Picture showing what the soup and sandwich look like together on a plate
Yield: 4 servings

Spicy Tomato Basil Soup with Italian Grilled Cheese Dippers

Overhead photo of soup and sandwich served on a plate
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

For Spicy Tomato Basil Soup:

  • 2 lbs fresh tomatoes, cut into large chunks
  • 2 large cloves garlic, minced
  • ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • ¾ cup shredded or grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 cups chicken stock (see notes)
  • ½ cup half and half
  • 15 basil leaves, chopped

For Italian Grilled Cheese Dippers:

  • 8 slices good quality sourdough bread
  • 1 stick butter, softened
  • 1 clove garlic, grated
  • ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese

Instructions

For the Spicy Tomato Basil Soup:

  1. Heat olive oil in a soup pot over medium low heat.
  2. Add garlic and crushed red pepper.
  3. Saute for about 2 minutes.
  4. Add tomatoes to pan and increase heat to medium.
  5. Season with salt and black pepper.
  6. Cook for about 20-25 minutes until tomatoes have cooked down, stirring occasionally.
  7. Puree tomatoes in the pot with an immersion blender or ladle into a blender to puree, and then return to pan.
  8. Stir cheese into tomatoes and continue stirring until melted.
  9. Stir in chicken stock and bring to a boil.
  10. Once soup has come to a boil, stir in half and half.
  11. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes.
  12. Stir in chopped basil right before serving.

For the Italian Grilled Cheese Dippers:

  1. Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat.
  2. In a small bowl, combine garlic with softened butter.
  3. Spread garlic butter on one side of each slice of bread.
  4. Flip 4 of the buttered slices of bread over and divide cheeses equally between the 4 slices.
  5. Top each slice with the 4 remaining slices of buttered bread.
  6. Toast each sandwich in the skillet for a few minutes on each side, until golden brown and cheese has melted.
  7. Serve with the soup immediately.

Notes

  • If you want the soup to be vegetarian, substitute vegetable stock for the chicken stock.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 889Total Fat: 48gSaturated Fat: 25gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 105mgSodium: 2026mgCarbohydrates: 86gFiber: 6gSugar: 15gProtein: 32g

 

 

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23 Comments

  1. Hi Lisa,
    I just love Tomato Basil Soup and your recipe looks delicious. We have lots of fresh tomatoes and basil right now so this will be delicious. Hope you have a great week end and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
    Come Back Soon!
    Miz Helen

  2. Pinning this to make before my basil is gone! My hubby LOVES tomato soup, and I never make it! Your pictures are great, too!
    Visiting from Miz Helen’s.
    Amanda

  3. I have a similar relationship with tomato soup. It didn’t appeal to me until I tried the homemade route and served it with some gooey grilled cheese for dipping. Now, I can’t imagine grilled cheese without it. Your recipe is right up my alley. A perfect pairing!

  4. Unlike you, I always LOVE tomato soup. I cannot eat a grilled cheese sandwich without it and I have been looking for a good homemade version. This one sounds great and I am adding it to my list of “to try” recipes!

  5. I made this last night. Both the husband and kids absolutely loved it! The 1 1/2 yr old wanted seconds on the soup! It’s the new rainy day comfort meal in our home! Thank you so much for sharing!

    1. Thanks for stopping by Nancy! If you want to get email notifications, just click the box at the end of this post, under the comments. 🙂

  6. tomato soup was great and easy to make – thanks 🙂
    next time will double the quantity as everyone wanted more

  7. OMGoodness!!! This is the BEST spicy tomato basil soup recipe I have ever tasted. I’ve always tried to master it but could never get quite right. Thank you so much!

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