Just when you thought there was nothing better than tomato soup and grilled cheese, I'm here to up the comfort food ante with a pizzafied version that will knock your cushy slipper socks right off.
May I suggest that personal cheese and bacon pizzas are even better than grilled cheese sandwiches for dipping in tomato soup? First of all, they're all baked together on one big sheet pan. (No need to stand at the stove hoping your sandwiches don't burn.) And then there's the dippability. Unlike grilled cheese sandwiches, which tend to make your hands greasy, mini pizzas have perimeters of crust that keep your hands clean as you dip and eat.
I like to add bacon to my pizzas, because . . . well, bacon is delicious. But if you want to keep this meal vegetarian, feel free to omit the bacon and brush your dough with olive oil instead.
The tomato soup, adapted from this recipe on Cooking Classy, is super easy to make, and it tastes like a soup version of fresh marinara sauce. If you like yours more on the creamy side, feel free to stir in some heavy cream after the soup is finished cooking. Do me a favor, though, and try it this way first. I love how the cheesy, bacony pizza tastes when dipped into the bright, fresh-tasting soup.
Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese Pizzas
Equipment
- Food processor or blender
- Large saucepan or soup pot
- Wooden spoon
- large rimmed baking sheet
- pastry brush
- Pizza Cutter
Ingredients
For the soup
- 2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 garlic cloves minced or pressed
- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more as needed
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh herbs (basil, chives, or parsley, or a mix)
For the pizzas
- 4 slices bacon chopped
- ⅓ cup shredded low-moisture mozzarella cheese
- ⅔ cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (I like the orange kind for these!)
- ½ cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 1 (14- to 16-ounce) ball pizza dough
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 500°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
To make the tomato soup
- In a food processor or blender, puree the whole peeled tomatoes until smooth.
- Melt the butter in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, then add the pureed tomatoes, broth, salt, sugar, and a grind or two of black pepper. When the mixture starts to bubble, turn the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Taste and season with more salt and pepper as desired, then stir in the chopped herbs. Keep the soup warm while you make the pizzas.
To make the pizzas
- Cook the chopped bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat until it just begins to crisp up at the edges, about 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and transfer the bacon to a paper towel–lined plate to drain. Do not wipe out the skillet.
- In a medium bowl, combine the mozzarella, Cheddar, and ricotta cheeses. Mix with a spoon or your hands until it looks like a cheese ball.
- Divide the dough into four equal-size pieces. Pat each piece into a flat disk, then roll or stretch each piece into a 5 to 6-inch circle. Place the dough circles on the prepared baking sheet.
- Brush each dough circle with a little bacon grease, making sure to get all the way to the edges. Scoop one-quarter of the cheese mixture onto each dough circle, and use your hands to spread the cheese out evenly. Top each mini pizza with one-quarter of the bacon.
- Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake the pizzas for about 10 minutes, until the crust is golden and the cheese is browned in spots.
- Remove the pizzas from the oven. Let them cool for a minute or two, then cut them in half and serve with bowls of soup for dipping and slurping.
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