Tomato Soup with tasty Grilled Cheese Croutons – Kid-friendly recipe from Catherine McCord and Weelicious Lunches. Easy, healthy, delicious.
Well, we are officially back to school, and families have jumped back into the swing of things. Between homework, practice, rehearsal and after school activities, we all have our plates full. We want the best for our kids, especially when it comes to nutritious meals and the foods that fuel them through their day. The thought of coming up with a variety of kid-friendly meals for the school week might seem overwhelming, but luckily my friend Catherine McCord’s new book, Weelicious Lunches, has arrived just when parents need it most!
I met Catherine at the BlogHer Conference in Seattle two summers ago. In addition to being one of my favorite people ever, Catherine is the queen of quick, healthy, kid-friendly recipes. She is dedicated to creating tasty, nutritious food options for families on the go. Just like her site, Weelicious, and her first cookbook, I know this book will be another huge success. Weelicious Lunches is packed with tasty and creative choices for filling lunch boxes. Catherine also includes some tips for how to attract kids (even picky eaters) to healthy foods, like using brightly colored fruits and veggies and cutting sandwiches into fun shapes rather than sending the standard square bread. I’m a kid at heart, and I definitely worked up an appetite after perusing the pages of this adorable book. You’ll love it!
For my kosher readers, please note that this is not a kosher cookbook, though it does have plenty of kosher options– like this recipe, Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons! Who doesn’t love the combination of warm tomato soup and a grilled cheddar cheese sandwich on a crisp autumn day? The soup on its own is vegan and parve when you use vegetable broth; it’s also super low in fat and gluten free. It’s not spicy at all, which is great for young kids. The grilled cheese croutons are beyond easy to make. When served with a steaming bowl of the tomato soup, they are the ultimate indulgence.
I think this soup is the perfect example of Catherine’s genius– making quick, healthy, delicious meals that your whole family will love. Weelicious Lunches is a great kitchen resource for families, and it makes a fun holiday gift, too!
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Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Crouton Bites
Ingredients
Tomato Soup
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
- 2 garlic cloves, diced
- 2 large tomatoes, diced (about 2 cups)
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
Grilled Cheese Crouton
- 4 slices bread, any type you like (I used sourdough, for gluten free use your favorite certified GF bread)
- 4 thin slices cheddar cheese
- Butter or oil
NOTES
Instructions
To make soup:
- Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté for 2 minutes, or until translucent.
- Add the carrots and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes more.
- Add the remaining soup ingredients to the pot and stir to combine.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes till all ingredients are soft.
- Carefully move the soup to a blender and blend until smooth. You can also use an immersion blender to blend the soup in the pot.
To make croutons:
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Butter the slices of bread on one side.
- Place 2 slices of cheese on two of the slices of bread on the un-buttered side.
- Place the other buttered slices on top to form two sandwiches, so the buttered sides are on the exterior and the cheese is within. Place the sandwiches in a hot skillet.
- Cook for 2 minutes on each side, or until the bread is browned and the cheese is melted.
- Remove the sandwiches from the pan and allow to cool enough for you to handle them. Cut each sandwich into 1x1 inch pieces.
- Place the sandwich cubes on a lined or lightly greased baking sheet and bake them for 5-7 minutes in a 400 degree oven, or until golden brown and crunchy.
- Remove croutons from the oven and serve with the tomato soup.
Nutrition
Thanks so much for this recipe! On one of our many snow days, my kids requested tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for a great cold weather meal. There are a gazillion tomato soup recipes out there, so I searched this site first because I figured if you recommend a soup recipe I know it’s good.
The soup was good, but the part that made this recipe amazing were the croutons!!! Fabulous!!! Thanks again!
Aren’t they delish Kira? My friend Catherine is a genius. I had never thought to make grilled cheese croutons before reading her book, and we are now addicted to them!
Great bariatric meal too!
Wow , our Mother made this for us as kids ! She was way ahead on this one (I’m talking 1965) but she used Campbell’s Tomato soup. All my children grew up eating this and we still do it .
I’ve always loved the tomato soup & grilled cheese combo. Grilled cheese croutons, though? Pure genius!!
I love tomatoes, but have never found a good soup recipe. Have been wanting to make this since I saw it posted and finally did today. All I can say is WOW! This is delicious. Thank you so much for posting!
Looks delicious!
The tomato soup will be a hit with my family and I will send some care packages to my college student 0-)
When I read your recipe the cheese croutons would be perfect to add to onion soup, and my favorite lentil soup. When I make a vegetarian cholent, before serving I think I would remove the croutons from the frig and add it room temperature to the cholent when serving. What a great surprise for the family!
As always your recipes are always a hit, and thank you 0-)
You’re welcome Mashugana! 🙂
You read my mind! I was looking at the last few tomatoes from my garden and wishing I had a tomato soup recipe! Thanks!
You’re welcome Alice! This one is really kid-friendly and not overly spicy, feel free to spice it up with a little cayenne or more salt and pepper if you like. Enjoy!
If any of you are old Girl Scouts, you may recognize these croutons as *Pots of Gold*
<3
looks like dinner to me 🙂