Wintertime Tomato Soup with Grilled Ham and Two-Cheese Sandwiches

There’s something about Tomato Soup that just naturally goes with grilled sandwiches. Some people go for the grilled cheese variety. Others like a Tuna Melt (my personal favorite); while my guys go for Grilled Ham and Cheese on Sourdough. Hubby is strictly an American Cheese kind of guy, while Kiddo and I like to mix it up a bit with Pepper Jack or Smoked Gouda.

I adore soup in the winter, especially tomato soup. It brings me back to my childhood. I can see Mom now, standing over a pot of Campbell’s Tomato Soup. I don’t remember having soup that didn’t come in a can. For a very long time I thought soup must be very difficult and expensive to make from scratch. Why else would my parents, great cooks in their own right, serve up soup from a can? I’m still not sure, but now I know soup is one of the easiest things to make. Some of the more elaborate soups can little time-consuming but non are overly difficult. As soups go, this one is a snap.

Wintertime Tomato Soup
1 cup Shallots, finely chopped
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Butter
1 teaspoon Roasted Garlic (from a jar)
Cracked Black Pepper to taste
28 oz canned San Marzano Tomatoes
12 oz Tomato Juice (such as V-8)
Louisiana Hot Sauce to taste
2 tablespoons Tomato Paste (from a tube)
1/2 tablespoon Basil Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon Marjoram, dried
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup Half and Half
Dollop of Sour Cream, optional garnish

Heat butter and oil in a stainless steel saucepan. (Don’t use a non-stick pan – you will be using an immersion mixer later and you don’t want to ruin the finish).

Saute shallots until just tender, about 5 minutes. Add minced roasted garlic and give it all a quick swirl. To the saucepan, add tomatoes, V-8 juice, tomato paste, a dash or two of Louisiana Hot Sauce, basil and Marjoram.

Bring soup mixture to a boil, reduce heat, cover and gently simmer for about 15 minutes.

Remove from heat and puree soup using an immersion mixer until smooth and silky. How long this will take depends upon the style of tomatoes used. Whole will take a little longer to puree than chopped or diced tomatoes.

Return pan to low heat, add milk and half and half. Gently heat through without boiling.

Ladle soup into bowl, and dollop with a little sour cream if desired just before.

Grilled Ham and Two-Cheese Sandwiches on Sourdough
8 Slices Yellow Cheese (see note)
8 Slices Pepper Jack Cheese
8 oz Deli Style Ham
8 Slices Sourdough Bread
Butter for grilling bread

Cover four slices of sourdough bread with jack cheese, then deli ham, followed by yellow cheese. Top with remaining sourdough.

Head griddle or flat skilled to about 325 degrees. Brush griddle with a little butter. Place sandwiches on griddle, jack cheese as bottom layer (jack cheese will take a little longer to melt, so you’ll want to have it closest to heat source first).

Grill sandwiches until crisp and golden-brown, about 5 minutes or so. Turn, and grill other side until golden and the cheese has fully melted.

Remove from griddle, cut in half and serve alongside soup.

Note: When selecting a yellow cheese, use American or THIN Cheddar – something that will melt easily.

Bundle up, snuggle down and stay warm everyone!

Author: Rosemarie's Kitchen

I'm a wife, mother, grandmother and avid home cook.I believe in eating healthy whenever possible, while still managing to indulge in life's pleasures. View all posts by Rosemarie's Kitchen