Creamy Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese

I don't just want you to live long, I want you to live well, and this time it's my Marry Me Meals (The Long Game) series where I give you five dinner recipes that are not only delicious and easy to make, but will ensure you keep your significant other happy and around for the long haul. As a gut health dietitian, I want to provide you with dinner recipes that are nutrient-dense, but also give you recipes that can keep you and your partner living happily and health-ily ever after. So, I am welcoming you to Day 2 of my Marry Me Meals. Today's recipe is my husband's favorite, the Creamy Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese.

Here's my thought process around this second dinner recipe: It's officially fall time and the one way to your partner's heart (and yours) is a nourishing and wholesome soup. Is there any better soup than tomato soup paired with a crunchy and warm grilled cheese? Like I said in the first recipe, I want to give you recipes that are nutrient-dense since I am a dietitian, but also provide you with recipes that bring you inner peace. This tomato soup provides your body with nutrients like fiber from the tomatoes, onion, and bell pepper, healthy fats from the extra virgin olive oil, and polyphenols from the fresh oregano and fresh garlic. I tried combining nutrition and wholesomeness together when creating this Creamy Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese.

This is going to be the dinner you leave in the oven while taking care of other household chores. All you need to do is bake the vegetables in the oven and then blend them all in a pot when they're done baking. After that, it will take you 5 minutes to prep the grilled cheeses. This is an effortless dinner recipe that will keep your partner in love with you and in good health. Let's get to the Creamy Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese recipe shall we?

Why You’ll Love This Creamy Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese

• Comforting: A cozy, feel-good meal that brings warmth to any fall evening.

• Nourishing: Packed with fiber, healthy fats, and antioxidants to support your gut and overall health. Remember that warm, cooked meals are recommended during your colder days. They are easier on digestion and will support your energy levels.

• Effortless: Simple prep and oven-roasted veggies make this dinner stress-free and satisfying.

• Versatile: Easy to enjoy on its own or paired with a melty, golden grilled cheese. You can also follow the "FAQ" and "recipe notes" and choose to make the soup the way you want to or depending on what you have at home.

Yields: 4

Portion: 1 bowl of soup

Prep time: 10 minutes

Total time: 1 hour and 10 minutes

This recipe is gluten free, and vegan if you're only enjoying the soup. Otherwise, the grilled cheese has dairy and gluten.

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Ingredients:

Baking pan ingredients:

5 medium tomatoes, halved

1 head of garlic (top trimmed off)

1 sweet onion, halved

1 red bell pepper, halved with seeds removed

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Salt & black pepper to taste

Soup ingredients:

1 stem of fresh oregano,

2 cups vegetable broth

2 cups water

1 tbsp salt

Optional: ½ cup ricotta cheese

Optional: 2 peperoncini (depending on spice tolerance)

Grilled cheese:

4 pieces sourdough bread

Pepper-jack cheese

2 tbsp unsalted butter

Garnish:

Freshly ground black pepper

Fresh basil

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Instructions:

1. Roast the vegetables: Preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange halved tomatoes, onion, and head of garlic (cut side up) on a large baking sheet or pan. Drizzle olive oil, and sprinkle 1 tsp salt and black pepper to your liking. Roast for 30–40 minutes, until tomatoes and onions are soft, and garlic is tender enough to squeeze out of its skin.

2. Blend the soup: Once roasted, allow vegetables to cool. Squeeze roasted garlic cloves out of their skins into a large pot or blender. Discard the skins. Add in the tomatoes, onions, peperoncini, oregano, vegetable broth, and 2 cups of water. Blend until smooth (use a blender or immersion blender). Pour into a pot, bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for 10–15 minutes. Adjust salt, pepper, and water for consistency. Add in ricotta cheese if you would like a creamier consistency.

3. Make grilled cheeses: have oven preheated to 400. Have the four slices of bread layered on baking sheet. Butter the bread generously on one side, flip, and layer two slices of pepper-jack cheese onto each slice of bread. Create a sandwich (you will have 2). Bake in the oven until cheese has melted and bread is crispy.

4. Serve: Pour soup into bowls. Garnish with fresh basil and freshly grated black pepper if you would like. Serve alongside your perfectly baked grilled cheese. Enjoy!

FAQ:

1. Can I add noodles: Yes! Funny enough, but my husband prefers to have noodles in tomato soup, so feel free to add in pasta like ditalini or shells in there.

2. Is this recipe good for meal prep?: Yes! You can make it the night before and then enjoy it for a couple of days. But, I would recommend making the grilled cheese fresh every night.

3. Can I use heavy cream instead of ricotta?: For sure. When it comes to making the soup creamy, you can feel free to use heavy cream, ricotta cheese, or even coconut milk for a dairy free option.

4. Can I use a different cheese for the grilled cheese?: Yes! Feel free to use havarti cheese, mozzarella cheese, whichever you prefer.

Recipe Notes:

1. Make it less chunky: I prefer a chunkier tomato soup, but if you don't, you can keep blending the soup until it reaches a consistency you prefer.

2. Spice level: We all have different spice tolerances, you can opt out of the peperoncini and make it more of a mild soup.

I hope you love this recipe as much as I did, so if you do, please leave me a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I always read through my suggestions and comments, so please let me know your thoughts. If you have any questions you can feel free to DM me here or through Instagram. Speaking of Instagram - please tag me in all of your creations! I love seeing how the recipes come out and seeing how talented you all are. Sending my love.

xoxo,

Jasmin D the RD💋