Tomato Grilled Cheese Soup
This Tomato Grilled Cheese Soup is what happens when tomato soup meets a grilled cheese sandwich. It’s the ultimate comfort food, and it’s guaranteed to warm you up on a cold winter day!
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Tomato Grilled Cheese Soup
Can we agree that a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of tomato soup is one of the best comfort foods ever? And dipping the corners of the sandwich into the hot soup is a requirement. But why not take it one step further and combine the two? Take that classic tomato soup and add shredded cheese and cubed, day-old bread. The result? A hearty, cheesy soup that’ll warm you up on a chilly winter day. Thanks to the cheese and bread, this soup is thick. I personally love thick soups, but feel free to add additional chicken stock to thin it out to your own preference. My wife said this soup reminded her of eating the delicious leftovers at the bottom of a plate of lasagna. She’s kinda right, too…this Tomato Grilled Cheese Soup is all kinds of comfort food rolled up into one delicious bowl.
The best part of this soup (aside from the taste, of course)? It’s quick and easy. I don’t mind letting a big pot of soup simmer for several hours on the stove…but there’s no need to do that here. You can have a huge pot of this soup ready to go in less than an hour. But promise that you’ll use a good quality cheddar cheese for this one. The deep flavor from a sharp cheddar is needed to balance with the acidity from the tomatoes. (I recommend Cabot’s Seriously Sharp Cheddar. I used two 8-ounce blocks, and it worked out great!)
As December moves forward, life just seems to get crazier and crazier. I suggest taking a couple of minutes to make a big pot of this Tomato Grilled Cheese Soup. There’s nothing like a tasty bowl of hot soup to put you in a good mood on a chilly winter day! Enjoy!
Did you make a batch of this Tomato Grilled Cheese Soup at home? Leave a comment, or better yet snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog). I’d love to see your version!

Tomato Grilled Cheese Soup
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 4 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes (not drained)
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 6 slices day-old bread cubed
- 16 ounces sharp cheddar shredded
Instructions
- Using a large stock pot or Dutch oven, add the olive oil. Heat over medium heat until hot. Add the onion and garlic; saute for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are slightly soft.
- Add the tomato paste; cook for 2-3 more minutes, stirring often.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, sugar, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 30-35 minutes.
- Using a stick blender, puree the soup until smooth.
- Add the cubed bread and shredded cheese. Stir until cheese has fully melted.
Notes
Disclaimer: I am a member of the Cabot Cheese Board, but I did not receive compensation for this post. The recipe is entirely my own.
Looking for more tasty soup recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
One of my fave things in the world is dunking a grilled cheese into a bowl of tomato soup. So, can you imagine how I feel about a tomato soup that has a grilled cheese in it?
#WolkPackEats
Exactly! Forget the 2-step process…just combine them into one awesome bowl of soup instead. 🙂
This is my perfect comfort food lunch right here on a plate. Perfection! I love the extra sharp cheddar cheese. You know that we share a love of cheese but extra sharp cheddar is one of my all time faves! Now I want grilled cheese and tomato soup for lunch but I have exactly zero of the ingredients. 🙁 I love that you combined the best combo ever into one delicious soup! Pinned!
Actually, I would recommend serving this soup in a bowl, Lindsey. It could get a little messy on a plate. Just sayin’. And as far as cheese, the sharper the better! I love all kinds of cheese, but I almost always go back to a super sharp cheddar cheese as my favorite. If there’s sharp cheddar on the cheese tray at the holiday party, then you better stay away…it’s all mine! 🙂
Love how thick this soup is, David! I feel the thicker the soup, the fuller it keeps me – don’t ask me to justify that statement – my disclaimer is that I got issues! 🙂 Sharp cheddar is one of the few cheeses that don’t mess with me so I see this soup happening at some point this winter – though not in a large pot as we will sit there and lick the pot clean!
Hey, that is a totally legit disclaimer, Shashi! We’ve got issues, so if your issues only involve thick soups, then I think you are totally normal. 🙂 Oooo…I’m so glad that you can eat sharp cheddar. It’s one of my favorite cheeses, and I’m fairly sure I could just eat it for a meal all by itself. Throw in some gluten-free bread and I think this soup would totally be ok for you. But just don’t expect leftovers…because there won’t be any. Haha!
I JUST had a grilled cheese sandwich for breakfast (is that weird?) and I was wishing I had some soup with it. What a perfect solution you have made!!
Hahaha! I love that you had a grilled cheese sandwich for breakfast. That’s the right way to roll in the winter! We haven’t eaten this soup for breakfast…yet. Now that you’ve given me the idea, I might just have to make that a reality tomorrow morning. Oh man, now I am really hungry for lunch. Haha!
Can’t wait to try this! I think I will reduce the recipe by half though as it seems like it would make a lot and I am not sure if this would freeze well.
Hey Jean! This recipe does indeed make a big pot of soup, and it could easily be halved. However, I can say from personal experience that it freezes quite well. 🙂 I hope you enjoy this soup as much as we do!
I made this for lunch yesterday and it is SO good!! It is delicious, filling, easy and for soup is very quick to make. It makes quite a lot; it barely fit in my 6 quart dutch oven. This recipe is a keeper for sure.
Wow! Thank you so much, Jean…I’m always so honored when people make my recipes and then come report back. I really, really appreciate it! But more importantly, I’m glad you enjoyed this soup. It does make quite a bit, so I should probably add a little note to the recipe. I don’t really know how to make a small pot of soup, though. Haha! Thanks again, and don’t be a stranger if there are any other recipes I can help with!
I really don’t think you can beat the combination of tomato soup and grilled cheese in the winter. The gooey cheese and the rich tomato soup. Yum!!!
I totally agree, Dannii! Winter means comfort food…and grilled cheese + tomato soup is one of the best comfort foods out there. Stay warm!
Awkward but if I had a nintendo 64 right now, I’d be playing it.
The fact that you actually PUT aspects of the sandwich in the soup? Genius.
Thanks, Arman! And get this…when I was visiting my Mom this past summer, I found my old Nintendo. Not Super Nintendo. Not N64. But Nintendo. With the Duck Hunt gun! And it works…it’s a little spotty, but I’ve definitely played a bit. Long live the 1980’s!
Looking good buddy and grilled cheese sandwiches rock! Sharp cheddar for sure and I love this is a thick soup, no splashy when dunking! #WolfpackEats
Hehe…thanks, Kevin! Yup, this soup disappeared really fast around here. It’s been a bit chilly lately, and nothing beats a hearty bowl of soup on a cold day! (Not that you have cold days out there…but you can still imagine what it would be like. Haha.)