Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and saute the garlic until soft. Add the red pepper flakes and cook for another minute or so. Add the tomato puree, chicken broth, and the herbs and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes or so. Taste and adjust seasonings (salt, pepper and sugar) to taste. Add cream and stir until incorporated. Again, adjust seasonings if needed. Keep the soup warm while you make the grilled cheeses.

Butter all of the bread on one side. (This is definitely where having softened, spreadable butter is a big advantage.) Make five sandwiches with two slices of cheese between two slices of bread, with the buttered sides of the bread faces out. Heat your skillet on medium and cook until both sides of the sandwiches are a beautiful golden brown and crunchy and the cheese is melted. Cut the sandwiches in half to assist in soup-dunking. If you want to make grilled cheese croutons, let your sandwiches cool for a minute or two before cutting into cubes. Put croutons into the soup and dig in!

Serve both soup and grilled cheese sandwiches/croutons while warm. Get all toasty and curl up with a book afterwards.

Inspired by gracelaced and Iowa Girl Eats.