Grilled Cheese With Tomato Soup For Two

Let's Cook

1. Step 1.

   Tear 1/2 slice bread into 1-inch pieces; set aside.

2. Step 2.

   Melt 1 tablespoon butter in medium saucepan over medium-low heat.

3. Step 3.

   Add onion, garlic, bay leaf, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper flakes, if using. Cover and cook until onion is softened, 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Step 4.

   Add tomatoes and their juice, broth, sugar, and bread pieces to saucepan, breaking up tomatoes with wooden spoon. Cook, uncovered, until bread pieces break down, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Step 5.

   Remove from heat; discard bay leaf.

6. Step 6.

   For a blender: Transfer soup to blender jar and process until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Return soup to saucepan and season with salt and pepper to taste.

7. Step 7.

   For an immersion blender: Place blender directly in saucepan so blades are submerged (you may need to tilt saucepan slightly) and blend until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes, scraping down sides of saucepan as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

8. Step 8.

   Using remaining 4 slices bread, make 2 sandwiches with 2 cheese slices each.

9. Step 9.

   Preheat 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat for 3 minutes.

10. Step 10.

    Brush 1 side of sandwiches with half of melted butter. Place sandwiches buttered side down in skillet. Brush tops of sandwiches with remaining melted butter.

11. Step 11.

    Cover and cook until sandwich bottoms are golden brown, 4 to 8 minutes, moving sandwiches as needed for even browning.

12. Step 12.

    Using metal spatula, flip sandwiches and continue to cook, covered, until golden brown on second side and cheese is melted, about 3 minutes.

13. Step 13.

    Bring soup to simmer over medium heat. Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with chives, and serve with sandwiches.