DinnerCountGrilled Cheese & Tomato Soup
This is a comforting dinner that everyone already knows. Grilled cheese sandwiches crisp in butter in a skillet while a pot of canned tomato soup, whisked with milk, warms beside them. Each sandwich is cut in half for dunking. It is a good dinner for a cold night, a snow day, or an evening when everyone is tired.
Ingredients (serves 4)
- Bread slices8 slices
- American or cheddar cheese8 slices
- Butter4 tbsp (½ stick)
- Tomato soup (canned)2 cans (10.75 oz)
- Milk2½ cups
How Much to Make for 2, 4, 6, or 8
For 2 people, you’ll need 4 bread slices, 4 slices American or cheddar cheese, and 1 can (10.75 oz) of tomato soup.
For 4 people, you’ll need 8 bread slices, 8 slices American or cheddar cheese, and 2 cans (10.75 oz) of tomato soup.
For 6 people, you’ll need 12 bread slices, 12 slices American or cheddar cheese, and 3 cans (10.75 oz) of tomato soup.
For 8 people, you’ll need 16 bread slices, 16 slices American or cheddar cheese, and 4 cans (10.75 oz) of tomato soup.
| Ingredient | For 2 | For 4 | For 6 | For 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bread slices | 4 slices | 8 slices | 12 slices | 16 slices |
| American or cheddar cheese | 4 slices | 8 slices | 12 slices | 16 slices |
| Butter | 2 tbsp | 4 tbsp (½ stick) | 6 tbsp | 8 tbsp (1 stick) |
| Tomato soup (canned) | 1 can (10.75 oz) | 2 cans (10.75 oz) | 3 cans (10.75 oz) | 4 cans (10.75 oz) |
| Milk | 1¼ cups | 2½ cups | 3¾ cups | 5 cups |
The amounts are rounded to what you can measure at home. Pounds are rounded to the nearest quarter or third, cups to the marks on a measuring cup, and spoons to real measuring spoons. An egg stays whole. Because of the rounding, some amounts are the same at two sizes.
- For 2: This recipe is written for 4 adult-size portions. You are cooking about 2 adult portions, which is roughly 0.5 times the recipe. With fewer pieces, use the same 12-inch skillet, space them out, and keep the same time.
- For 6: This recipe is written for 4 adult-size portions. You are cooking about 6 adult portions, which is roughly 1.5 times the recipe. This calls for a 12-inch skillet. At about 1.5× the recipe that’s three batches in the skillet instead of two, or two skillets at once. The time for each batch is the same. Keep the early batches warm in a low oven.
- For 8: This recipe is written for 4 adult-size portions. You are cooking about 8 adult portions, which is roughly 2 times the recipe. This calls for a 12-inch skillet. At about 2× the recipe that’s four batches in the skillet instead of two, or two skillets at once. The time for each batch is the same. Keep the early batches warm in a low oven.
In DinnerCount, this recipe is sized to exactly who’s home tonight, whether that is a hungry teenager, a toddler, or a guest.
Open this recipe in DinnerCount for free
Forty recipes are free to read and cook, sized to your household. You don’t need an account or a card.
Steps
- Whisk the tomato soup and the milk together in a saucepan until smooth. Use about one soup can of milk for each can of soup. Using milk in place of water is what makes it taste homemade. Warm the soup over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring every minute or so. The soup is ready when it is steaming hot but not boiling. Keep it warm on the lowest setting.
- Butter one side of every slice of bread. Build each sandwich with two slices of bread and two slices of cheese, with the buttered sides facing out, so the cheese touches both pieces of bread. If the ingredient list leaves you with a spare slice, that comes from rounding and is not meant to be half a sandwich.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. If the sandwiches won’t all fit at once, heat the oven to 200°F too. Cook the sandwiches in batches, in a single layer with space around them, because a crowded pan steams the bread and does not brown it. Cook each batch for about 3 minutes on each side, pressing gently with a spatula. A sandwich is done when both sides are deep golden and the cheese stretches when you lift a corner. Keep the finished sandwiches warm on a sheet pan in the 200°F oven while you cook the rest.
- Cut the sandwiches in half, and serve them with bowls of the soup for dunking.
Good to Know
- Contains Milk, Wheat. This comes from the ingredient names, so it is not a complete list. The ingredient names do not show what is inside a jar, a mix, or a sauce, and formulas change. For an allergy or intolerance, read the package every time, and never decide from this line.
