Roasted Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons

Though only one of my 3 kids likes tomatoes, Tomato Soup is something that all 5 of us love, so it’s in steady rotation around here. 🍅

I love to freeze perfect summer tomatoes to use for this in the winter, but the truth is, we eat tomato soup often, and my stash disappears quickly. I’m grateful for canned tomatoes for this exact reason. For my 2 kids who eat dairy, crispy, melty grilled cheese croutons are the thing that makes this meal an absolute favorite!

This soup freezes beautifully, it’s made in the blender and works well for lunch, making it an all around win! Of course, this meal can be made gluten free by using gluten free bread, and it can also be made dairy free by using dairy free cheese.

Roasted Tomato Soup 
(serves 3-4)

2 beefsteak tomatoes, cut into chunks
1 medium red onion, sliced 
1 bell pepper, cut into chunks 
1 large clove of garlic, peeled and smashed
2 tablespoons olive oil 
3 teaspoons fresh thyme, divided
28 ounce can whole, peeled tomatoes
4 cups vegetable broth
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
Fresh black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon sugar (optional)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne (optional) 

Method
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and add the chopped fresh tomatoes, onions, peppers and garlic. 
Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with 1 1/2 teaspoons of fresh thyme. Roast for 15-20 minutes or until the vegetables have softened and become fragrant. 
Place the roasted vegetables into a blender. 
Add the canned tomatoes (including juices), vegetable broth, remaining fresh thyme, salt and pepper. 
Blend together until smooth. Taste to determine whether more salt or pepper is needed. If you find the flavor too acidic, you can add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. If you like it spicy, you can add cayenne.

Grilled Cheese Croutons
4 pieces of sourdough bread
4-5 ounces sharp cheddar cheese
1-2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Method
Preheat the oven to broil.
Place sourdough slices on a baking sheet lined with foil and smear butter on one side of each slice. Place that butter side down and add cheese on top of each slice. Place into oven, open faced.
Broil for 1-2 minutes or until cheese is nice and melty.
Place two open-faced sandwiches together to create two closed-faced grilled cheese sandwiches. Let cool for about 5 minutes and cut into crouton chunks.

Grilled Cheese Wafflewiches

It took me a while to broaden my breakfast horizon beyond pancakes. I dedicated loads of time to perfecting the pancake recipe, and once that was settled, I had a grand old time experimenting with variations. Pancakes were a great building block for all sorts of lunchboxes for my kids. In general, I thought we were chugging along just fine.  

And then one day, my older daughter discovered not one, but two waffle irons in the back of a kitchen cabinet that rarely sees the light of day. She looked up a recipe and promptly made breakfast for all of us. The kids were elated. From there, we spent several weekend mornings testing out various waffle recipes and building our freezer stash for lunchboxes. A sea change was in the air. 

I yearned for waffles, and I wanted them savory. After lots of recipe fails, I figured out that the key to crispy waffles was the addition of corn starch, and in fact, waffles aren't just pancakes with abs. With that little bit of knowledge under my belt, and many rounds of recipe testing, I created our family's favorite savory waffle recipe. They're slightly salty, with a hint of bold flavor, all nestled within the comfort and reliability that you'd want from waffles. These savory waffles are the perfect canvas for all sorts of toppings, but hands down, our favorite is a simple grilled cheese wafflewich. Crispy outsides, gooey insides. This is the stuff of dreams!

Grilled cheese is a staple in so many homes, and this recipe elevates that concept and makes it perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner. This recipe was created in partnership with TheFeedfeed and Land O Lakes® and it quickly became a staple in my home. I use Land O Lakes® Deli American cheese because it melts beautifully, and it's creamy deliciousness brings me back to my own childhood. My mom used to make open-faced grilled cheese sandwiches with Land O Lakes® Deli American in the toaster oven and heat them until big brown bubbles formed on top. Those bubbles were absolutely magical. They still are. For breakfast, we serve these waffles open-faced with that same toasted bubble, but when it comes to the lunchbox, we're all about the closed face wafflewich. 

Grilled cheese wafflewich

Making grilled cheese wafflewiches for my kids is both a celebration of new discoveries, and a nod to my past. They're easy to eat, delicious and my kids dig them hot and melty, or cold from the fridge. Here's what else I love about them: Land O Lakes® Deli American cheese is available at pretty much every deli counter near me, so it's reliably easy to find, and always sliced fresh. These days, I can send my 12 year old out to buy it, and the only thing I don't know in advance is whether she will pick up yellow or white (which by the way, is a heated debate in my house, but that's a story for another day). 

grilled cheese Wafflewiches 

Ingredients

20 (3/4 ounce) slices of Land O Lakes® Deli American cheese
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons chopped chives
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat the waffle iron and the oven to 200 degrees F. In a medium sized bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients.

2. In a separate bowl, add the chives, buttermilk and eggs and whisk together until just combined. Whisk in the melted (and cooled) butter and grated parmesan.

3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, making sure that everything is fully mixed.

4. When the waffle iron is hot, pour about 1/4 cup of batter to create each waffle (may change depending on your waffle iron). Close the waffle iron and cook for approximately 3 minutes, or until the steam stops spraying out of the sides.

5. Use a spatula or your fingers to remove the waffle and repeat until the batter is finished.

6. Place the waffles on a rack and place that rack in the oven to stay warm and crispy.

7. When you have finished using all of the batter, remove the waffles from the oven and heat the oven to broil.

8. Lay out the waffles on a cookie sheet. Place 2-3 slices of Land O Lakes® Deli American cheese (3/4 ounce each) on each of the waffles, making sure to drape them over the edge slightly. Place under the broiler for approximately 1-2 minutes or until the cheese has completely melted. Alternate method: place the sliced cheese on top of each waffle just after it finishes cooking. Create a pressed wafflewich by placing a waffle on top and closing the lid. Slice each wafflewich into 4 equal squares, or serve whole.

Makes 5 full wafflewiches. I typically cut these into quarters. 

My favorite part about these Savory Wafflewiches? Definitely the fact that my dairy-eating kids love to pack them for lunch! If you make this recipe, share it on Instagram and be sure to tag #lalalunchbox #Feedfeed and #LandOLakes 

*Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Land O Lakes® and TheFeedfeed. All opinions are my own.