Midweek Magic: Tomato Cheddar Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons
I have to say, I am very excited, my witchy lovelies. I’ve started feeling that slight crisp in the air in the evenings and mornings here in the Northeast, which means soon enough summer will give way to autumn. This means to me at least that soup season has officially begun again!
Soup is one of those meals that absolutely captures a vibe no matter what type you’re creating and certainly for many has a nostalgia factor about it, I think. I know for myself, my mom had a steady lineup of soups that she would rotate through during my childhood. No matter how complicated or simple each preparation was, they all seemed to be tailored to perfectly fit or fix an emotion or circumstance. I think that’s why now that I am an adult, I often turn to these comforting meals when I need a boost to my spirits.
Soup for the soul
Lately, I have been feeling particularly run down and overwhelmed by life and it seems like there are a lot of good reasons for feeling as such. Between the intense energies surrounding us in our daily lives as a global society and the unique challenges we each face in our own personal and professional lives, all of us could use a comforting, restorative meal I think. Soups and stews are an inherently wonderful vessel for this type of intention; by default they are warming and nourishing to body and soul. The incomparable versatility of soup allows you to adjust the ingredients to your liking and intentional needs, as well as being a pretty foolproof and inexpensive meal to create either for a crowd or to save and freeze for later times when you need a quick and easy emotional boost.
Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese: A Magickally Comforting Combination
I decided I needed a recipe to draw in and create some extra positive energy to combat the heaviness I been feeling lately. I have many a time experienced the wholesome pleasure of dunking a melty, gooey grilled cheese into smooth and creamy tomato soup over the years. It just hits the spot and I felt it was the perfect combination to work with to create that cozy, warming feeling I was searching for. This particular recipe is an homage to this classic combo, but with a slight twist; below I highlight a few of the adjustments that make this soup a exceptionally special treat for the world-weary.
Cheddar Cheese: I decided to bring a bit more decadence to this already super flavorful soup by melting sharp cheddar into it. Not only does this give a rich taste and texture to the tomato soup, but I also wanted the intentional boost of nurturing energy of the added dairy to make this dish extra satisfying and warming.
Grilled Cheese “Croutons” : I almost always add a few croutons into any soups I have; I love the slight textural crunch they provide. While these aren’t as crisp as your average crouton, they make up for that in flavor. The bread does an exceptional job soaking up the soup and the addition of even more gooey cheese takes this to next level comfort food status! As I said before, the dairy element is very strong intentionally for nurturing yourself and also draws in prosperity and abundance, which we could all use more of I think. The addition of the wheat in the bread here boosts this intention greatly as well.
Treat Yo Self
Intentionally, this soup to geared toward the idea of treating yourself gently and fostering self love. We often don’t get the chance to put ourselves first because there is so much responsibility to various other aspects of our life. Globally, we have been bombarded with so much negativity and distress over the past few years and even more is put on our plates constantly; the emotional, physical, and mental toll of this is immense. This recipe is inviting you to slow down a bit and take some time to nurture, fortify, and truly nourish yourself because you deserve that. Food is fuel, but it is such as much for our souls as it is our bodies and we all could use a bit more emphasis placed on our internal comfort in our every day lives I think.
We would love to know in the comments what some of your go to comfort foods are! Sending you all lots of love and blessings and I truly hope this recipe can give you some precious moments of peace amongst the chaos life can be sometimes.
Tomato Cheddar Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. of tomatoes, cut into halves or quarters (love, protection, warding)
- 4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped (strength, clarity)
- 3 ribs of celery, chopped (cheer, restfulness)
- 1 large yellow sweet onion, chopped (healing, protection)
- 1 Tbsp fresh thyme (courage, healing)
- 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary (protection, purification)
- 1 Tbsp fresh parsley (cheerfulness, purification)
- 2 whole bay leaves (wish fulfillment, protection)
- 2 tsp garlic powder (warding, healing)
- 2 Tbsp honey (sweetness towards self and outlook on life)
- 2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (banishment of negative energies)
- 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar (beauty, self love)
- 3 Tbsp garlic infused oil (love, healing)
- 2 tsp salt (purification)
- 2 tsp black pepper (banishment of negative energies)
- 8 oz sharp cheddar, shredded or crumbled (nurturing of self, abundance)
- 2 cups vegetable or chicken stock (deep nourishment of self)
- 1 cup half and half (abundance, prosperity)
- 12 slices of bread of your choice (abundance, prosperity) *See Notes
- 12-24 slices of cheese of your choice (nurturing energies) *See Notes
- 2 Tbsp butter, softened (love and protection)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and prepare a large sheet pan with cooking spray or oil.
- Arrange all of your prepared produce onto your sheet pan, along with the fresh herbs, spices, honey, and balsamic vinegar, and garlic oil. With clean hands toss the mixture to coat and spread back into a even layer.
- Roast the vegetable mixture in the oven for approximately 30 minutes or until vegetables are softened and lightly caramelized. Remove from the oven and cool slightly.
- In a blender, puree the warm roasted vegetables, roasting juices, and shredded or crumbled cheddar in batches until completely smooth.
- Add all of the puree and the stock into a large pot and place over low heat. Let the soup simmer and reduce slightly, approximately 10-12 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and add in the half and half and stir to combine.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat and prepare it with cooking spray
- Butter each outer side of the bread and place 1-2 slices of cheese inside.
- One at a time, place cheese sandwiches butter side down in the skillet and slowly fry the sandwiches until golden brown on each side and cheese is thoroughly melted.
- You can place grilled sandwiches on a sheet pan in a warm oven while you cook the others to keep everything the same temperature.
- Once all of the sandwiches are complete, cut each into 6 pieces.
- To plate, place your grilled cheese croutons on top of each serving of soup and enjoy!
Notes
- You can use an combination of bread and cheese you prefer for your croutons depending on your taste preferences.
- The amounts in the recipe for the croutons will differ depending on how many servings of the soup you are partaking in at that time. If you are looking to make and freeze this soup for later use, you can make the grilled cheese fresh when you choose to serve the soup.
