Foodily

May 21, 2021
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It’s fall and we’re craving everything with pumpkin, especially this velvety pumpkin tomato soup. If you’ve never tried it before, this warming soup will convince you—pumpkin is just the sweet flavor traditional tomato soup needs. One of the best parts? Both the soup and cheese sticks are ready in under 30 minutes, making this the easiest fall dinner you’ll have no problem getting the whole fam to enjoy. Plus, it’s definitely kid-friendly—they’ll be obsessed with the grilled cheese sticks.

The pumpkin tomato soup:
Pumpkin puree adds a savory, comforting factor to this already cozy soup, while heavy cream and Parmesan make it extra creamy. We love serving this soup with fresh basil and a drizzle of heavy cream, but feel free to switch it up: leave out the herbs, add more Parmesan, or even a dollop of pesto.

The grilled cheese sticks:
Everyone knows that tomato soup + grilled cheese = the perfect cozy pairing, so we couldn’t miss out on the opportunity for some cheesy dunking here. The grilled cheese sticks are so easy to make with whatever cheese you like! We love Swiss for its sharp flavor, but feel free to swap it out for any deli sliced cheese, such as Havarti, cheddar, or Monterey Jack.

Ingredients

Soup

1 Tbsp.unsalted butter
4cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c.tomato paste
1/2 tsp.crushed red pepper flakes
4 c.low-sodium chicken broth
1(15-oz.) can pure pumpkin puree
1/3 c.grated Parmesan, plus shavings for serving
Kosher salt
3 Tbsp.heavy cream, plus more for drizzling
Chopped fresh basil leaves, for serving

Grilled Cheese Sticks

8slices white bread, crusts removed
8slices deli-sliced baby Swiss cheese
2 Tbsp.unsalted butter

Directions

Soup

1. Step 1In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until garlic is fragrant and light golden, about 1 minute.
2. Step 2Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted, about 1 minute more. Add broth, pumpkin puree, Parmesan, and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until soup is slightly thickened and flavors are melded, about 5 minutes. Stir in cream.
Grilled Cheese Sticks
1. Step 1Using a rolling pin, roll bread into flat, 1/4″-thick squares. Place 1 slice cheese on each piece of bread and tightly roll up.
2. Step 2In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, melt butter, swirling to coat bottom of pan. Working in batches, add sticks to skillet seam side down and cook, turning often, until bread is golden and cheese is melty, about 3 minutes.
3. Step 3Ladle soup into bowls. Drizzle with cream and sprinkle with basil. Serve with grilled cheese sticks alongside.