Tomato soup with grilled cheese is the ultimate comfort food on a cold winter’s night. It was my father’s staple “warm up the kids” dish when I was a child. It’s also a great dish to serve at parties. Pass out mugs of tomato soup and grilled cheese squares for a tasty finger food, perfect for dunking. Make the grilled cheese squares while the soup is simmering. You can find sliced Daiya vegan cheese at the deli counter at Whole Foods.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1½ cups diced yellow onion
- 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 tablespoons superfine brown rice flour
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth, warmed
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon agave nectar
- 1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes (preferably San Marzano)
- ½ cup rice milk
Grilled Cheese Squares
- 8 slices allergy-friendly sandwich bread
- 8 teaspoons Earth Balance soy-free buttery spread, at room temperature
- ¼ pound thinly sliced Daiya vegan cheddar
How to Make It
- Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high-heat. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes, stirring a few times. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for 1 minute more.
- Sprinkle in the brown rice flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, until lightly golden and aromatic. Slowly add the warmed broth, stirring. Add the salt and a few turns of pepper and stir in the agave nectar. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. Add the tomatoes, bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Puree in the pot with an immersion blender, or puree in batches in a jar blender or food processor, then return to the pot. Add the rice milk and cook for 5 minutes more. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
- Meanwhile, prepare the grilled cheese squares. Lay out 4 slices of bread. Spread 1 teaspoon of buttery spread on each. Flip so that the buttery side is down. Distribute the vegan cheese evenly among the four sandwiches, and cover each with another slice of bread. Spread 1 teaspoon of buttery spread on top of each.
- Heat a large nonstick pan or griddle over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. I use a well-seasoned cast-iron pan for this. Add as many sandwiches as will fit, cover, and cook for 2 minutes, until the cheese is starting to melt and the bread is browning on the bottom. Flip the sandwiches and press down hard with a spatula. Cook for about 1 minute more, then flip again and press down to get a final crisp on both sides. Remove the sandwiches from the pan and cut each into quarters. Grill the other sandwiches if you were not able to do them all in one batch. Serve alongside the soup.