Masala Tomato Soup with Chutney & Tomato Grilled Cheese Is the Ultimate Dinner Duo
It’s hard to name a better pair than tomato soup and grilled cheese. Whether you like to dunk the melty sandwich into the steaming bowl or enjoy them separately, the combination always makes for a comforting, winning meal. Here’s how to take it for a spin: Use Campbell’s® Condensed Tomato Soup as the base for a deeply spiced version inspired by classic Indian flavors, pair it with flavor-packed grilled cheese sandwiches, and you have a whole new way to eat the beloved favorite.
A Punchy, Spice-Forward Approach to Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese
You have food blogger and cookbook author Hetal Vasavada of Milk & Cardamon to thank for this ingenious recipe. “Growing up my mom would make just about any dish we made at home Indian. If we made pasta, you better believe my mom added some masala to it. That goes for soups, too,” she says. “Traditional soups in India use a technique called tadka or vaghar to add a punch of flavor to the dish. This is when you temper or bloom spices in oil and then add the spices and flavored oil into the dish right before serving. I decided to take the technique and add it to very American tomato soup to make it the perfect amalgamation of Indian and American cuisine!” It’s a smart idea that pays off: This is unlike any tomato soup and grilled cheese you’ve tasted before.
It’s Campbell’s® Condensed Tomato Soup that makes all the difference here. Hetal adds: “I love the tartness it has! Gujarati food is known for having the perfect balance of sweet, salty, tangy, and spicy, and the soup brings not only a punch of tomato flavor but a tang that works perfectly with all the spices in this recipe. It’s the perfect cozy meal.”
Masala Tomato Soup with Chutney & Tomato Grilled Cheese
Serves 4
Ingredients
For the soup:
- 1/2 tablespoon
vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup
diced red onion
- 5 cloves
garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons
minced fresh ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon
ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon
ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon
garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon
red chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon
ground turmeric
- 1
(10.75 oz) can Campbell’s® Condensed Tomato Soup
- 1 tablespoon
vegetable oil
- 1/4 teaspoon
black mustard seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon
cumin seeds
Pinch of asafoetida (optional)
- 8 to 10
fresh curry leaves
For the grilled cheese:
- 1 cup
fresh cilantro
- 1/4 cup
fresh mint leaves
- 1 teaspoon
minced fresh ginger
- 1/4
serrano chile (or to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon
fennel seeds
- 2 teaspoons
lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon
chaat masala (optional)
Salt to taste
- 8 slices
white bread
- 2 to 3 tablespoons
mayonnaise
- 8 slices
cheese (American, Cheddar, Monterey Jack, etc)
- 1
tomato, thinly sliced
Instructions
Make the soup:
In a pot over medium-high heat, add oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onions and season with a pinch of salt. Stir well and cook on medium heat for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 minute. Add cumin, coriander, garam masala, chili powder, and turmeric and stir for 30 seconds. Add Campbell's® Condensed Tomato Soup and 1 1/2 cans of water. Stir well and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.
While the soup is simmering, making the tadka. In a small pan over medium high heat, add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When the mustard seeds and cumin seeds start sputtering and popping, add the asafoetida and curry leaves. Be careful because the oil will start to pop a little. Stir for 1 minute and then immediately pour the hot oil and spices into the soup. Stir the soup and season with salt to taste.
Make the grilled cheese:
To make the chutney, add cilantro, mint, ginger, chile, fennel seeds, lime juice and chaat masala to a blender. Blend until smooth, adding a few tablespoons of water if needed to smooth it out. Add salt to taste and set aside.
To make the grilled cheese, spread the green chutney on one side of two slices of bread. Top one side with a slice of cheese, a layer of tomato slices and another slice of cheese. Top with the bread with the chutney side in the sandwich. Spread mayonnaise onto the top of the sandwich and place the sandwich on a skillet over medium heat, mayo side down. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Spread mayonnaise on the top of the sandwich and flip. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve with masala tomato soup.