Easy Tomato Bisque with Grilled Cheese Sticks

These toasty sourdough grilled cheese sticks are perfect for dipping in this quick & easy, creamy tomato soup! 

I love soup for lunch in the fall and winter!  It warms me up on a cool, or cold day, and also fills me up.  I’ll often make a pot of soup on Sunday so I have it for quick meals during the week.  This easy tomato bisque is one of my favorites.  And what’s the perfect combo with tomato bisque?  Well, grilled cheese of course!

While the tomato bisque part came later, I think I probably had grilled cheese at least once a week as a kid – I’ve always loved cheese!  Grilled cheese might have actually been the first thing I learned to cook on my own.

Everyone has a different opinion when it comes to the texture they prefer in soup.  Personally,  I prefer a soup that is more on the pureed side – especially when it comes to something like tomato soup.  So for me, an essential kitchen tool is an immersion blender.  If you like to make soup, it’s worth the investment to get one.  You can always puree soup in the blender, however, unless you are doing butternut squash or something that’s a bit more difficult to puree, using an immersion blender is much easier.  It also eliminates the possibility of a huge mess if you forget to cover up the opening in the blender.  No one wants soup all over their kitchen!  Yup, that HAS happened to me!

When I’m making grilled cheese I love to mix different cheeses.  Each type melts slightly different and in this case, the cheddar and Gruyère blend together for a fantastic taste!  While you don’t have to use sourdough for the grilled cheese, there’s something about it that makes it just perfect for dipping.  When you butter the bread all the way to the edges, they get nice and crisp, which makes the sticks easy to dip and extra crunchy on the edges.

Meal Prep Tips

One nice thing about soup is you can pretty much always make it ahead of time.  You can make a big pot of this during your weekly meal prep and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.  The grilled cheese is best made right before eating otherwise you lose that gooey, melted cheese factor.

things may want for this recipe

Easy Tomato Bisque with Grilled Cheese Sticks

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Kathryn | Urban Foodie Kitchen
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Total Time: 55 minutes
• Yield: 2 servings
• Category: Soups, Stews & Chilis
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: American

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Description

These toasty sourdough grilled cheese sticks are perfect for dipping in this easy, creamy tomato soup!

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Ingredients

For the soup: 

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup diced carrot, about 1 medium carrot
• 2/3 cup diced onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 28 oz can whole tomatoes, undrained
• 8 oz chicken or vegetable broth
• 1/2 tsp cooking sherry
• 4 tbsp heavy cream or half & half

For the grilled cheese:

• 1 1/2 tbsp Brummel & Brown or other soft butter
• 4 slices sourdough bread
• 2 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup shredded Gruyère

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Instructions

To make the soup: 

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a medium dutch oven or saucepan. Add carrot and sauté for 1 minute; add onion and sauté for an additional minute.  Add garlic, basil and thyme; cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
2. Add tomatoes, with juice from the can, and broth.  Stir and bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
3. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until fairly smooth.  Stir in sherry and cream.  Keep warm until ready to serve.

To make the grilled cheese: 

1. Heat a medium non-stick pan over medium heat.
2. Butter one side of each slice of bread.  Place two slices in the pan, butter side down.  Top with cheddar and Gruyère.  Place an additional slice of bread on top, butter side facing up.
3. Cook for 4 minutes per side, or until crisp and golden brown.  Remove from pan and let cool for a minute or two.
4. Using a serrated knife, slice each sandwich into sticks.  Serve immediately with warm tomato bisque.

Keywords: comfort food