Often when my husband is home for lunch, we see Mr. Food segments at the end of our news program. A few days ago we happened to catch a segment called Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup Bake. Because we were kids in the 60's, tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich was a staple in both of our homes. We watched the preparation of this dish with a mixture of interest and horror. It sounded awful, but when all was said and done...it looked pretty good. So, I decided to give it a try.
The only change I made to the Mr. Food recipe was using 1 T. of butter instead of 3 to lighten the dish. I also used a mixture of shredded cheeses because that is what I had at home.
Ingredients:
3 T. softened butter (I used 1 T. and melted it)
1 pound French bread sliced into 22 slices
2 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
(I used cheddar and 4 cheese blend)
1 can Campbell's Cream of Tomato soup
1/2 cup milk (I used skim)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Spread or brush butter on one side of the 22 bread slices and place on baking sheet. Bake 5 to 7 minutes, turn over and bake another 5 minutes. You want both sides to be slightly toasted and crispy to the touch.
Split your cheese into 1 1/2 cups and 1 cup.
Mix the soup with the milk until blended.
Remove the toasted bread from the oven
and place 11 slices into a 9x13 casserole dish.
It didn't say to grease the dish,
I wish I had sprayed it with PAM
Sprinkle the 1 1/2 cups of
cheese on top of the bread.
Top with remaining 11 slices of bread.
Pour soup mixture over the top
Bake 20 minutes at 425 degrees
Remove from oven and top with remaining
1 cup of cheese
Return to oven for 10 minutes.
The verdict...it was really good. My husband loved it, he even had a second helping which is very rare for him. My son came the next day and ate the leftovers warmed in the microwave and loved it too. He asked for the recipe! He liked that it was not only easy, but cheap to prepare. I thought it was really good. I think it would be a great companion to serve with chili or soup. It warmed up well the second day but the piece leftover the 3rd day was drying out according to my husband. I do think this is best served right from the oven. The bottom remained crisp and the top wasn't too soggy and only had a slight tomato taste. If I wasn't trying to be a "healthy" eater, I would use the full amount of butter and even more cheese between the slices of bread. This is hardly a gourmet meal, but quick, easy, inexpensive and tastes a bit like our childhoods. Sometimes that is all you need!
