To me, the ultimate comfort food is tomato soup and grilled cheese. I’ve never really liked the tomato soups in the can because I thought they lacked flavor. I realized the key to great tomato soup is fresh tomatoes! Tomatoes bought on the vine are always juicy and sweet and growing them yourselves is always better. Most tomato varieties will work here but look for a deep red color when shopping. Adding lots of fresh or dried herbs here is the key to a delicious, flavorful soup. As always, experiment with some different herbs like basil, thyme, whatever!

Ingredients

• ¼ cup olive oil

• 15-20 tomatoes of choice (campari tomatoes and roma tomatoes)

• 1 medium onion chopped roughly 

• 1 tbsp dried oregano

• 1tbsp dried rosemary 

• 2 whole cloves garlic

• 1 tsp crushed red pepper

• 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

• Salt to taste

• 1/2 cup cashews

• 1 cup water 

• 1 tbsp soy sauce or coconut aminos 

Instructions

1. Add olive oil to a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the whole tomatoes and move around the pot for about 5 minutes.

2. Add in the onion, garlic, oregano, rosemary, crushed red pepper, black pepper, and some salt to the pot. Sit for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Begin to roughly break up the tomatoes by crushing them with the wooden spoon. Continue to simmer on medium-low heat.

4. In a blender, add the cashews and water. Blend until a thick creamy consistency forms.

5. Add the cashew mixture into the pot and stir.

6. Put the soup into the blender or use an immersion blender directly in the pot. Blend until mostly smooth with a few chunks remaining. 

7. To the pot, add the soy sauce. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Enjoy with some vegan grilled cheese!

How to make the perfect grilled cheese

Step 1: Fresh, crusty bread! Sour dough, ciabatta, rye…. Experiment with new types! Buying fresh from a bakery (even a grocery store bakery) typically exceeds anything you can buy in the bread aisle. 

Step 2: The vegan cheese! There are so many options of vegan cheese out there but you want to look for ones that specifically say they melt well on the package. The brand Daiya, has some great tasting cheese that melts well. 

Step 3: Get buttery. Make sure to spread vegan butter on both sides of the bread and toast the side that you’re going to put the cheese on before assembling the sandwich.

Step 4: Play with seasonings! This is a step that is frequently omitted but when you’re looking at that beautiful crusty bread, it will be calling for some seasonings. Sprinkling some dried oregano, black pepper or crushed red pepper on the outside of the bread while cooking.

Step 5: Heat! The heat matters when cooking vegan grilled cheese because it may take longer for the cheese to melt than with regular cheese. Keep the heat on low and cover the pan for about 5 minutes (Make sure to check up on it). Flip, and repeat on the other side until the bread is perfectly toasted and the cheese is melted.