Not A Fan Of Grilled Cheese? Here Are 2 Other Robust Sandwiches That Pair With Tomato Soup

Tomato soup certainly deserves a culinary spotlight on its own merit, if only for being warm, thick, tasty, comforting, and nutritious. But it becomes a dynamic duo when paired with a common comfort-food sidekick: the melty, crispy, triangular-cut grilled cheese sandwich. In our search for the absolute best side dishes to eat with tomato soup, several paring options arose from award-winning chef and restaurateur Laurent Tourondel. They include two robust sandwiches that place grilled cheese on the sidelines, at least occasionally. There's room for all 18 of Tourondel's suggestions, but these two may tuck next to your tomato soup bowl fairly often now: a BLT or a pesto panini. Both are a bit more complex than a simple grilled cheese, but they're nonetheless easy to create. 

There's no dissin' a grilled cheese in general, as it graces many a plate with its unadorned simplicity — and the iconic pairing does have some undeniable history. But must tomato soup be monogamous in the long-term grilled-cheese relationship it's enjoyed for years on end? Let's dare to say no, that perhaps grilled cheese can share the love with some equally deserving sandwiches. Here's a closer look at the two potential plate-mates and what they bring to the table. 

When paired with tomato soup, the basic BLT sandwich is a perfect stand-in for grilled cheese. It's a pretty straightforward compilation (though not one to make ahead of time), one most home chefs can do without a second thought using common supermarket items. Humble as it is, just bread, bacon, tomatoes, lettuce, and typically a bit of mayo, the BLT nonetheless has a lot of transformative power when consumed alongside tomato soup.

The namesake B component, bacon, arguably has the most impact on the soup-and-sandwich tango. As explained in our side-dish suggestions for grilled-cheese replacements, the bacon "can impart a smoky flavor on your taste buds." That's something you definitely don't get from an unadorned grilled cheese sandwich. 

Then there's the fresh-feeling injection you get from the lettuce and tomato, which can lighten the heavy thickness of hearty tomato soups. It's also important to maximize the added flavors, such as choosing smoked or flavored bacons to pull out flavors hidden inside typical tomato soups. 

The power of pesto is undeniable when tucked inside a toasty panini sandwich. You get a dose of herbal magic from the basil, along with velvety olive oil, earthy pine nuts, and the complexity of sharp, textured Parmesan cheese. Depending on the pesto recipe, you'll likely get the pungency of garlic and the brightness of lemon juice as well. When spread inside a panini sandwich and served with tomato soup, it could well enter heavenly territory. 

As noted in our list of suggested side-dish accompaniments for this soup, the herbal flavors from pesto elevate other fillings, which can include anything from roasted chicken to tomato slices, mozzarella cheese, and whole leaves of fresh basil. To tie together tomato soup and its pesto panino companion, consider swirling a dollop of pesto sauce into the soup itself. It especially helps when using canned tomato soup — no judgment. We're all known to pop a can-top from time to time. The love-match of dunking a panini into tomato soup, regardless of what's tucked inside, is not to be underestimated. 

To spice things up between the sheets of bread, our tomato side-dish article suggests hot stuff like "a swipe of balsamic, which will accentuate the sweetness of the tomatoes." For more ideas on making a compatible panini for your tomato soup, check out our recipe for a chicken pesto panini, which includes extra touches such as fresh spinach and tangy sun-dried tomatoes.