A classic grilled cheese sandwich with smoked cheddar and mozzarella, served with a rich, roasted tomato soup. Perfect for dipping!
Category
Lunch
Servings
4
Prep time
10 minutes
Cook time
25 minutes
A classic grilled cheese sandwich with smoked cheddar and mozzarella, served with a rich, roasted tomato soup. Perfect for dipping!

Ingredients
- 1kg tomatoes, quartered
-
1/3 cup (80ml) extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- 100g butter
- 2 brown onions, chopped
- pinch of salt
- 5 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 cup (250ml) chicken stock
- 12 basil leaves
- 2 cups (200g) mozzarella, grated
- 1 ⅔ cup (200g) smoked cheddar, grated
- 8 thick slices sourdough
Directions
Preheat the oven to 180C fan forced (200C conventional).
- Place tomatoes on a large oven tray. Drizzle with half the oil and sprinkle with a good pinch of salt.
- Roast for 20 minutes.
Heat remaining oil and half the butter together in a large saucepan on medium heat.
Add the chopped onions and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes, until softened.
- Add garlic, cook, stirring for 10 minutes.
- Remove tomatoes from oven, transfer to saucepan.
- Deglaze oven tray with some of the stock to remove any tomato stuck to it.
- Add remaining stock to the saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring, for 5 minutes.
While the soup is simmering, butter one side of each bread slice.
- Heat a medium frying pan on medium. Place a slice of bread, buttered side down in the pan.
- Top with 1/4 of the mozzarella and 1/4 of the cheddar.
- Top with another slice of bread, buttered side facing up.
- Press bread down with a protein press, cook for 1-2 minutes, until golden brown.
- Flip the grilled cheese over and cook the other side, pressed down, until golden brown and cheese melted.
- Transfer the grilled cheese to a tray to keep warm and repeat with remaining bread and cheese.
Remove soup from heat and puree with a stick blender. Add the basil leaves and puree with stick blender again.
Serve your soup in a bowl, drizzle with some EVOO and garnish with a few basil leaves and serve alongside your grilled cheese. Enjoy!
Recipe video
Recipe notes
FAQs
Can I use canned tomatoes instead of fresh?
You can, but you will lose a bit of the roasting flavour. Use two 400g tins of whole peeled tomatoes just skip the roasting step and add them straight into the pot after the garlic.
Can I make the soup ahead of time?
Absolutely. The soup keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months. Just hold off on adding the basil until you're reheating as it keeps the flavour bright.
What’s the best way to reheat grilled cheese?
Pop them in a hot pan or sandwich press for a couple of minutes to bring the crunch back—microwaving is a one-way ticket to soggy town.
Can I make this vegetarian?
Yes, just swap the chicken stock for veggie stock and you’re all good.
Don’t have a stick blender?
No worries. A regular blender will do the trick, just let the soup cool slightly first.