Photo by Heerah Jayakumar

Garlic bread grilled cheese and tomato soup are a great choice for lunch.

I am always on the quest to find the perfect sandwich and soup recipe. They’re great for lunches and easy to transport, so it’s important to me to find something that is simple to make, delivers great flavor and that I won’t get tired of quickly. Grilled cheeses are great to make on a morning when you just don’t feel like getting ready for school and are running late, and tomato soup is something that can be easily stored and also pairs well with it. This recipe is easy to make on any day when lunch plans haven’t been decided.

Tomato soup: While I often fry all my tomato soup ingredients, when making a soup that complements the grilled cheese well, I would recommend grilling the ingredients in the oven for a fresh taste. First, add four tomatoes, three shallots, a head of garlic and half a red bell pepper, all sliced in half, to a tray covered in olive oil. Then, the spices added are up to your own preferences. I added a tablespoon each of salt, pepper and paprika to the soup, but these can be swapped out for anything else you might want. I grilled that in the oven for 40 minutes at 450 degrees. Once the garlic and tomatoes have completely softened, it’s done cooking. I then transferred those ingredients to a blender with half a cup of milk and three tablespoons of parsley and basil, where they were blended until they reached a smooth consistency. If a more chunky texture is preferred, you can instead transfer these ingredients to a pot and add the milk, mixing the ingredients until they reach the desired consistency.

Grilled Cheese:
To prepare the grilled cheese, a fresh loaf of sourdough was used, and each side of the bread was covered with a garlic spread. I used about four tablespoons of butter, two tablespoons of fresh parsley and three cloves of garlic to cover two sandwiches. To give the rest of the sandwich more flavor, I would recommend using a variety of cheeses. I used fresh mozzarella, parmesan, cheddar and gouda. The mozzarella and gouda gave the cheese a variety in texture and a punch of flavor, while the parmesan and cheddar had milder flavors to balance that out, while still not being too bland. This gave the sandwich more depth than would have been expected with only one cheese, so this step is highly recommended. Then, on low heat, I grilled the cheese on a nonstick pan for about five minutes until the cheese was melted and the bread was thoroughly toasted.

Just like that, a rich meal that’s a familiar favorite is ready to eat, while still bringing on variety and new flavors. No matter the location or situation, if you have a quick lunch break, this is something that can be easily pulled out and eaten no matter what. When in doubt, a grilled cheese can always be there to save any lunch.