Tomato and Fennel Soup with Grilled Cheese for Two
A homemade tomato and fennel soup with grilled cheese supper that is fast,velvety without using cream and makes just enough for two. Pair with melty grilled cheese sandwiches to complete the meal.
Servings: 7 cups
Ingredients
Tomato and Fennel Soup
- 1 large fennel bulb about 1 lb - coarsely chop bulbs
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ½ large yellow onion or one small yellow onion, coarsely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 28 oz canned whole tomatoes
- 1 cup vegetable broth or chicken broth
- 2 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup Pernod
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- Sprig of fresh fennel for garnish
Grilled Cheese Sandwich
- 4 slices hearty white sandwich bread
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter ,melted
- 4 slices deli American Cheese 4 ounces
Instructions
- For this recipe, I prefer the creamy texture and smooth melting of American cheese, but you can substitute cheddar or Gruyere cheese if desired. Also you can use a conventional skillet here.
Tomato and Fennel Soup
- Cut tops from the fennel bulbs. Coarsely chop bulbs. In a large saucepan, melt butter. Saute fennel, onion and garlic over low heat until softened, 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add tomatoes and their juice, broth, and sugar, breaking up tomatoes with wooden spoon. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat.
- FOR A BLENDER: Transfer soup to a blender jar and process until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Return soup to saucepan and add Pernod. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- FOR AN IMMERSION BLENDER: Place blender directly in saucepan so blades are submerged (you may need to tilt saucepan slightly) and blend until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes, scraping down sides of saucepan as needed. Add Pernod and reheat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Canned tomatoes vary in flavor, which means you will need to adjust the seasoning of the soup a bit at the end. Taste and, if necessary, add a little more sugar to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes, butter for richness and to mellow the flavors a bit. Add more broth if too thick. I usually add another ½ teaspoon of salt. Blend again if needed.
Grilled Cheese
- Using 4 slices of bread, make 2 sandwiches with 2 cheese slices each. Preheat 12 inch skillet over medium-low heat for 3 minutes. Brush 1 side of sandwiches with half of melted butter. Place sandwiches buttered side down in skillet. Brush tops of sandwiches with remaining melted butter. Cover and cook until sandwich bottoms are golden brown, 4 to 8 minutes, moving sandwiches as needed for even browning.
- Using metal spatula, flip sandwiches and continue to cook, covered, until golden brown on second side and cheese is melted, about 3 minutes.
Serving
- Bring soup to simmer over medium heat. Ladle into bowls, garnish with fennel sprig, and serve with sandwiches.
Notes
Cooking for Two? Make Ahead and Freeze!
I love to make a big pot of Tomato and Fennel soup to freeze for a simple supper later in the week. Make ahead as the flavor gets better a day or two after sitting in the refrigerator. See the Cooking For Two Tips and Tricks section in the post.
This any-season soup uses canned tomatoes – so you don’t have to wait for tomato season to enjoy.