There’s little better (or more American!) than grilled cheese and tomato soup, and when that was the menu for a movie night dinner party, I decided to fancy it up with four-cheese paninis and my own “almost homemade” tomato soup. This recipe is super quick and ultra-impressive!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cans of stewed or diced tomatoes with juice (I like the ones with basil, onion and garlic)
• 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream
• handful of asiago cheese
• 1/4 diced onion
• fresh or dried basil to taste
• 1/4 stick butter

Puree everything but butter in blender or food processor. Pour into a saucepan with the butter and cook for 20 minutes on low.

This alone makes a really good soup, but it’s a bit strong on the tomato for me. The recipe could easily stop here.

After 20 minutes, add to crock pot with:

2 cans condensed tomato soup
2 cans full of skim milk
Basil, oregano, rosemary, and other italian herbs to taste

Let cook on low for at least 3 hours to allow the flavors to meld.

The photo isn’t mine and I can’t recall where I got it from. If it’s yours, please let me know and I’ll happily credit or remove it.