Tomato Soup Recipe and Grilled Cheese with Prosciutto

Nothing reminds me of cold winters growing up in Michigan more than mom’s tomato soup and grilled cheese.  While that was a can of soup, some wonder bread and cheese, it was always so comforting and delicious.  This Tomato Soup Recipe and Grilled Cheese with Prosciutto is definitely my moms recipe on steroids, but I suppose it has to be given what I do for a profession, my mom was a hairdresser!  Really I wanted to give my moms recipe a face lift and add some more flavor into it, like using canned tomatoes from the summer for the soup, and two different cheeses for the grilled cheese.  Oh yeah I used brioche from the bread 🙂  If you want to kick up this Tomato Soup Recipe and Grilled Cheese with Prosciutto even more, spread a little fig jam on the grilled cheese, it’s insane!

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Tomato Soup Recipe and Grilled Cheese with Prosciutto

Try this amazing Tomato Soup Recipe and Grilled Cheese with Prosciutto that will keep you warm all winter long!

Author: Chef Billy Parisi

Ingredients

For the Bisque:

• 1 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 small diced yellow onion
• 3 cloves of minced fresh garlic
• 2 sweet red bell peppers
• 3 1/2 pounds of canned tomatoes and juice
• 3 cups of chicken stock
• 2 to 3 tablespoons of tomato paste if needed
• 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup of heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
• Kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste

For the Grilled Cheese:

• 8 thick slices of sweet bread - Brioche or Challah
• 16 slices of smoked gouda cheese
• 16 slices of provolone cheese
• 16 slices of prosciutto ham
• 4 ounces of unsalted butter

Instructions

• In a large hot pot with olive oil caramelize onions and garlic. Once brown, add in the sweet peppers, tomatoes and stock and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Next, puree the soup with a blender until smooth. Thicken up with tomato paste if need be and finish the soup with balsamic vinegar, cream, salt, pepper and paprika.
• For the grilled cheese, stack 2 slices each of gouda, provolone and prosciutto ham on a slice bread then cover with another sliced of bread. Spread butter on the outside of the bread on both sides. Next, sear the bread on each side in a large saute pan on medium-high heat until the bread is golden brown on each side and the cheese is melted. If the cheese does not melt, place the pan in the oven on 375° for 4 minutes.