Serves 4
Photo by Anna Sergeeva
Vegan grilled cheese and tomato soup is, objectively, the most romantic meal on earth. Roses wilt. Earrings are nice but you always lose one. Chocolate, well chocolate is good, too. But you will never, ever forget a gooey, stretchy grilled cheese dunked into a spicy tomato soup. And this recipe will last a lifetime!
Plus: this all comes together in 29 minutes. The soup, the homemade cheese, the sandwich, everything!
IMHO Swiss makes the best grilled cheese. And to make this cashew-based vegan Swiss you need a few weirdo ingredients that are common enough. Namely, sauerkraut juice and truffle oil. The mixture is blended and then cooked on the stove top until nice and stretchy. By reserving a portion of the uncooked cheese sauce, you’ll add creaminess and complexity to the tomato soup, too. It’s really non-stop winning.
So dip and repeat until desired bliss achieved.
Tips for the weirdo ingredients:
For the cheeze, truffle oil really does give a swiss flavor, so I recommend it! If you don’t have it, it’s ok, it’ll be just a little less nuanced.
For the soup, I love calabrian chili in oil and so should you. But again, in this economy? You can simple use 1/2 teaspoon of red chili flakes or just some black pepper to keep it simple.
For the sauerkraut juice, just use some from any old jar of sauerkraut.
This recipe is from my upcoming cookbook, the 29-Minute Vegan! Preorder it like NOW.
Swizz Grilled Cheese With Spicy Tomato Soup
Notes
~Use red pepper flakes if you don’t have Calabrian chili (start with 1/2 teaspoon)
~If you don’t have crushed tomatoes with basil, don’t sweat it. Regular crushed tomatoes are great. If you have fresh basil, toss in a handful, otherwise no worries, it will have plenty of flavor.
Ingredients
For the cheese filling:
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 cup sauerkraut juice
- 1 cup unroasted cashews soaked overnight if you don’t have a highspeed blender
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
- 2 teaspoons truffle oil
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons tapioca starch
For the sandwiches:
- 8 slices sourdough sandwich bread
- Vegan butter for grilling
For the Spicy Tomato Soup
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 28- ounce can crushed tomatoes with basil
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon calabrian chili in oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Let’s make it!
- Start the cheese filling and soup base: Blend water, sauerkraut juice, cashews, nutritional yeast flakes, truffle oil, olive oil, salt and tapioca sarch in a high-speed blender until silky smooth. Reserve 1/3 cup of the sauce.
- Pour remaining cheese mixture into a deep skillet and heat over medium-low heat, stirring often with a rubber spatula. As mixture thickens, continue stirring and scraping skillet sides and bottom. Once smooth and creamy (4 to 6 minutes), scrape cheese into a wide, shallow container. Place in the freezer for a few minutes to cool a bit.
While that’s happening, make the soup.
- Preheat a soup pot over medium heat. Saute garlic in olive oil for 30 seconds. Add the italian seasoning and give a stir.
- Add crushed tomatoes, vegetable broth, and reserved uncooked cheese sauce to the pot and whisk well. Simmer 6 to 8 minutes or until soup slightly thickens. Pulse with an immersion blender for a smooth soup, or keep it chunky. It’s up to you! I kept it chunky in the photo.
Assemble and grill sandwiches:
- Preheat a large cast iron pan over medium heat. Butter two pieces of bread. Spoon about 1/4 cup of cheese on the unbuttered side of a piece of bread and gently close sandwich so cheese spreads towards the edges.
- Cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side, pressing down gently with a spatula, until golden brown.
- Slice sandwiches in half and serve with bowls of soup. Spoon is optional!
