Gourmet Grilled Cheese with Tomato Basil Soup

I always say that (besides pie) my favorite food is bread and cheese. And besides that? Pesto. Anything pesto. I could probably eat it with a spoon and call it a meal. So if I can have bread, cheese AND pesto all in one sitting, I’m a happy girl.

Our sunshine loveliness has taken a backseat to the gray skies and scattered showers these past couple of weeks. Normally, we save our “gourmet grilled cheese” dinners for chilly fall or winter nights, but we felt this weather warranted this deliciously warm and satisfying Gouda, bacon and basil grilled cheese paired with a bowl of homemade pesto-y tomato soup. So we pulled some pesto out of the freezer, asked my mamma for some of her canned tomatoes she has stock-piled, and had a cozy fall-like Friday night.

Soup Stuff:

• 1 quart crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup diced onion & olive oil for sauteing
• 4 oz fresh or frozen pesto
• 1 cup half and half
• Salt to taste
• Fresh basil for garnish
• Grated Parmesan

We made the soup first, then worked on the sandwiches while the soup was warming on the stove.

You just dice up some onion,  then saute in olive oil until starting to turn translucent…

Add in the broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil then simmer for 5-10 minutes…

Then add your pesto and stir until combined. We make our pesto with the basil we grow in the summer and freeze it in little Dixie cups. I need pesto at my fingertips year round. But store-bought can be used with this soup too!

Let warm but don’t bring to a boil, then fold in the cream. Add salt to taste. When ready to serve, garnish with fresh basil and grated Parmesan cheese.

While the soup is warming on the stove, you can start making your sandwiches.

Sandwich Stuff

(per sandwich)

• 2 pieces of your favorite bread
• 2 slices of Gouda cheese
• 2 large slices of bacon
• Half an avocado
• A few basil leaves
• A little bit of butter

Cook the bacon to your liking. While it’s cooking, cut your cheese, basil and avocado.

Melt the butter in your pan over medium heat and grill one side of the sandwich with the cheese on top until the bottom is golden brown. Grill the other slice of bread on its own in the same pan then remove both onto plate.

 

Layer the bacon, avocado and basil leaves on top of the cheese.

Put your pieces together, and your sandwich is complete!

Serve with your warm soup and enjoy!

Such an easy (and satisfying) weeknight dinner. I’m really hoping the sun returns soon, but I won’t complain if the weather “makes” me eat this warm and cozy meal just one more time this spring…

• Servings: Sandwich: 1 Soup: 5
• Time: 1 hr
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

A Gouda, bacon, avocado and basil grilled sandwich with a creamy pesto-y tomato soup.

Ingredients

For the Soup

• 1 quart crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup diced onion & olive oil for sauteing
• 4 oz fresh or frozen pesto
• 1 cup half and half
• Salt to taste
• Fresh basil for garnish
• Grated Parmesan

For the Sandwich

• 2 pieces of your favorite bread
• 2 slices Gouda cheese
• 2 large slices bacon
• Half an avocado
• A few basil leaves
• A little bit of butter

Directions

Start with the soup

1. Dice up the onion.
2. Heat oil over medium heat in medium-large saucepan.
3. Add in the onion and saute until translucent.
4. Add in the broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5-10 minutes.
5. Add the pesto and stir until combined.
6. Let the soup warm but don’t bring to a boil and then fold in the cream.
7. Add salt to taste.
8. Garnish with fresh basil and grated Parmesan cheese.

Now for the sandwich

1. Cook the bacon to your liking.
2. While it’s cooking, cut your cheese, basil and avocado.
3. Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat.
4. In the heated pan, grill one half of the sandwich with the cheese on top and the other piece of the bread on its own until both are golden brown. Remove onto plate.
5. Layer bacon, avocado and basil onto the melted cheese and bread.
6. Put the pieces together and you have yourself a sandwich.