Ingredients
Grilled Cheese Sandwich:
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tablespoon grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, plus 4 tablespoons
- 8 slices Shephard's bread
- 8 ounces white Cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 heirloom tomato, sliced into 3 (1/8-inch) slices
- 8 strips thick sliced apple wood smoked bacon, fried
Tomato Soup:
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin basil olive oil
- 3 tablespoons finely diced shallots
- 2 garlic cloves, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped basil leaves
- 3 strips thick sliced apple wood smoked bacon, fried and diced
- 3 ounce tomato paste
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup chicken broth
- Salt
- Sugar, to taste
- 1 tablespoon chiffonnade basil, for garnish
Directions
To make the grilled cheese sandwich: In a small mixing bowl, combine butter, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard. Spread a liberal amount of butter mixture on 2 slices of bread. Flip over slices and spread some Dijon mustard on other sides. Place Cheddar cheese on the Dijon side of both slices. Place bacon on top of cheese on 1 slice and sliced tomatoes on top of cheese on other slice. Combine both sides together and place in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook until golden brown and crusty. Flip sandwich and place a weighted cast iron pan on top. Cook until golden brown and cheese has melted. Remove from skillet and serve immediately with tomato soup.
To make the soup: Puree the crushed tomatoes and set aside. In a heavy stainless steel pot, heat basil olive oil. Add shallots and cook until soft. Add garlic, thyme, chopped basil, bacon, and tomato paste and continue to cook, stirring with a wooden spoon. Add tomato puree, cream, chicken broth, and salt and sugar, to taste. Bring to a simmer. Pour soup into bowls and garnish with chiffonnade basil. Serve immediately with grilled cheese sandwich.
A viewer, who may not be a professional cook, provided this recipe. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe and therefore, we cannot make representation as to the results.

















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By starringpunkin_...
newhall, CA
on August 24, 2012
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Wow! This soup is every bit of yummy! As soon as I added the tomato paste and it started to roast in my pot, I knew this was going to be phenomenal! Easy and not expensive to make means this is going into my dinner rotation!!! Thanks Rick for a great recipe!
By yaintime21
on June 27, 2012
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Worth the rave reviews. Cheese, bacon and tomatoes are an excellent mix -- in case you couldn't have guessed. Easy to make too. A winner all around!
By ericarealtor
on December 01, 2011
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This soup was delicious!!! I added 1/4 tsp crushed red chili flakes to give it a little kick and it was perfect. I made the soup day ahead to make it easy for my family to enjoy a hot meal quickly the night before Thanksgiving...everyone wants the recipe! The only way this could have been better is if you take the time to roast the tomatoes yourself.
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