Tomato Soup & Bacon, Grilled Cheese Casserole (small batch)

 

Every once in a while, I will see a recipe that intrigues me. So it was with this recipe I am sharing today for Tomato Soup & Bacon, Grilled Cheese Casserole.  I first encountered it on a blog called This is Not Diet Food.

Trust me when I say nothing on that page is diet food, lol.  Its all rich and delicious looking. The kind of food you would only want to eat once in a blue moon.

This intrigued me because it was like a combo of everyone's favorite grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup. I just had to try it! How could I resist!  

 

I did take the liberty of cutting the recipe in half to make only three servings.  I also changed a few bits, in that I didn't use ready prepped bacon bits, I made my own.  Also, I used sour dough bread, and a combination of cheeses.

The end result was rich and delicious.  I don't think it was quite a replacement for the old favorite combo of soup and sandwich, but it was pretty tasty.  

It was simple and quick to make and so I can see where it would be a great mid-week meal for a family, be it lunch or supper.  Children would certainly love it.

I would balance it out with a tasty salad on the side, however.  Something crisp and vegetable-like. It was very easy to make however and very tasty!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE TOMATO SOUP & BACON, GRILLED CHEESE CASSEROLE

Some pretty simple ingredients. This is rich and cheesy. Amounts are for a small batch recipe, feeding three people.

• 6 slices of bread (I used sour dough)
• 1/4 cup (75g) softened butter for spreading
• 2 cups (470g) grated cheddar cheese
• 1/3 cup (80ml) condensed tomato soup, undiluted (in the UK use Batchelor's)
• 4 slices of streaky bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
• pinch of salt and black pepper as desired

I used sour dough bread as I felt it would fit into the baking dish better and wasn't too thick.  I used regular softened butter. The original poster used margarine.

I used a mix of strong orange grated cheddar and a combo of grated mild and medium cheddars white and orange mix. It is okay to use ready grated cheeses for this.

Condensed soup is soup which you need to add either water or milk to in order to make it edible. You cannot just dump it into a saucepan, heat it up and eat it that way. In the U.K. the condensed soup that you would want to use is the Bachelor's brand. I think they are the only ones who make condensed soups.

The original poster used ready-made bacon bits. I preferred to use my own home-fried bacon. I keep fried bacon in my freezer for just this purpose. It is very easy to just take out and chop up to use for recipes.

 

HOW TO MAKE TOMATO SOUP & BACON, GRILLED CHEESE CASSEROLE

This was probably one of the easiest casseroles I have ever made. 

Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/gas mark 6. Have ready a casserole dish large enough to hold 3 slices of the bread in a single layer.

Measure the soup, crumbled bacon and grated cheese into in a bowl and combine well together.

 

Butter all of your bread slices on one side. Cut them all in half through the middle.

Place 3 of the halved slices of bread in the casserole dish, buttered side down. Divide the cheese mixture between them. Top with the remaining halves of buttered bread, butter side up, pressing them down gently over the cheese.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cheese is all melty and gooey and the bread has toasted.

Serve hot, two sandwich halves per person. Enjoy!

 

MY SUGGESTIONS ON HOW YOU COULD AMP THIS ONE UP AND ELEVATE IT

This is a great bare bones recipe, but if you wanted to change it up, here are my suggestions for doing so.

1. You could spread the bread with garlic butter rather than regular butter.

2. You could add chopped spring onions to the cheese mixture or even grated regular onions.

3. You could use a different flavor of soup, such as broccoli cheese, or even cream of celery.

4. You could leave out the bacon and use flaked tuna in its place. In which case I would definitely add some onion and perhaps even some minced celery, or even pickle relish. Leave off the tomato soup and add mayonnaise in its place, and okay, I am making a tuna melt casserole here. lol

 

This was quite different when it comes to a grilled cheese sandwich.   I was thinking that it might be a bit too soupy to eat out of hand, but actually I was quite able to eat it using my hands rather than a knife and a fork.   I thought it was deliciously different.

I am not sure that it would totally replace my regular grilled cheese sandwich however, but it was nice to try something a bit unusual in comparison to the regular.  I enjoyed one serving with some carrot and celery sticks!

 

Are you also a fan of the hot sandwich?  We love hot sandwiches in this house almost as much as we love cold sandwiches. Let's face it, we just love sandwiches full stop!  Here are a few other favorites that we enjoy!

HOT HAM & CHEESE SANDWICH WITH BACON AND CARAMELIZED ONIONS - These hot sandwiches are one very delicious mouthful. Sweet caramelized onion, crispy bacon, smoky ham and Swiss cheese, on a toasty poppyseed Kaiser roll.  They make for a fabulous lunch or dinner, depending on what you choose to serve with them.

ITALIAN BAKED SANDWICHES - A delicious buttery flat bread, split and spread with mayo and spicy mustard.  Filled with layers of Italian deli meats, melty cheese, hot peppers and torn olives. Toasted in the oven until everything is heated through. You can't beat hot, cheesy, meaty goodness that you can hold in your hand and enjoy.

Yield: 3 servings

Author: Marie Rayner

Tomato Soup & Bacon, Grilled Cheese Casserole

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 40 Min

This is a simple and easy lunch or dinner that you are sure to fall in love with. Loaded with grated cheddar cheese, real crispy bacon and condensed tomato soup, all sandwiched between toasty layers of buttery bread. Great with a salad on the side.

Ingredients

• 6 slices of bread (I used sour dough)
• 1/4 cup (75g) softened butter for spreading
• 2 cups (470g) grated cheddar cheese
• 1/3 cup (80ml) condensed tomato soup, undiluted (in the UK use Batchelor's)
• 4 slices of streaky bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
• pinch of salt and black pepper as desired

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/gas mark 6. Have ready a casserole dish large enough to hold 3 slices of the bread in a single layer.
2. Measure the soup, crumbled bacon and grated cheese into in a bowl and combine well together.
3. Butter all of your bread slices on one side. Cut them all in half through the middle.
4. Place 3 of the halved slices of bread in the casserole dish, buttered side down. Divide the cheese mixture between them. Top with the remaining halves of buttered bread, butter side up, pressing them down gently over the cheese.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cheese is all melty and gooey and the bread has toasted.
6. Serve hot, two sandwich halves per person. Enjoy!

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