These Grilled Cheese and Creamy Tomato Basil Soup Shooters are the cutest little appetizers I have ever seen! On these chilly fall days, who doesn’t love to enjoy a warm bowl of creamy tomato basil soup with their favorite grilled cheese sandwich? It is the ultimate comfort food if you ask me!
I recently hosted a fall party at The T Shop, for which I provided a variety of seasonal appetizers and desserts. In crafting the menu, I wanted to include some popular comfort foods, so some sort of tomato basil soup was a must. This is not the easiest dish to serve at a cocktail party, so I came up with these adorable shooters, which are basically just large shot glasses with tomato soup in them and grilled cheese sandwich bites adorning the rim! It was perfect and a total hit amongst the guests!
The creamy tomato basil soup is a spin-off of my favorite tomato basil soup from Corner Bakery. Have any of you had it by chance? It is absolutely delicious! This is an embarrassing confession, but I have eaten lunch at Corner Bakery at least twice a week for the past three years because it is right next to my office. Out of ALL of these times that I have eaten at Corner Bakery, I have only tried two things on the menu, and their tomato basil soup is one of them. It is the perfect combination of roasted tomatoes and cream and the little croutons they put in it are amazing! This recipe is my go-to tomato soup, and I have to say, it definitely gives Corner Bakery a run for their money!
The grilled cheese sandwiches are super easy to make as well and are just your classic skillet cheddar grilled cheese sandwiches!
You can always make this soup and sandwich combination as an easy lunch, or you can assemble them in these small shooters for a unique way to serve this classic dish at a party!
Enjoy!
- 12 roma tomatoes, seeds removed and cut in half
- 1 tbs and 2 tsp olive oil, divided
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper
- 28oz. can of crushed tomatoes
- ¼ cup of sun-dried tomatoes, diced
- 4 cups of low sodium chicken broth
- 1 ½ cups of fresh basil
- ¼ cup of cream cheese
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 8 slices wheat bread
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- Line a baking pan with parchment paper and place your tomatoes on the pan.
- Sprinkle the tomatoes with 2 tsp of olive oil and season with salt.
- Roast the tomatoes for 40 minutes or until tender. Set aside.
- In a 6-quart stockpot over medium high heat, add the rest of the olive oil, onions and crushed red pepper.
- Sauté onions until translucent, about 5 minutes and then the garlic. Sauté for 1 more minute.
- Add crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, and sun-dried tomatoes. Bring to a boil.
- Add the roasted tomatoes, reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the basil and cream cheese and stir until the cream cheese is completely melted and combined.
- Remove the pot from the stove and pour the soup in a blender. Blend until smooth.
- On a grill pan or skillet over medium-high, heat 1 tbs of olive oil.
- Spread 1/2 tbs butter over 1 side of each bread slice. Flip 4 slices of bread over and top with cheddar cheese. Place the remaining 4 slices of bread on top. The buttered sides should be out.
- Place the sandwich on the pan and cook until the bread is golden and the cheese is melted, about 2-3 minutes per side.
- Allow to cool for 1 minute and cut each sandwich into 8 equal sized slices.
- Pour 1 - 2 tbs of the soup in each shot glass, or until half full.
- Spear each slice of grilled cheese with a toothpick and lay on top of the shot glass.
- Serve and enjoy!
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