The Brilliant Reason Ina Garten Chops Her Grilled Cheese To The Size Of Croutons

Ina Garten has amassed hundreds of recipes and thousands if not millions of fans in her illustrious career as a gourmet shop owner, chef, and TV personality. Many recipes Garten shares offer clever upgrades to classic dishes, as is the case for cutting grilled cheese sandwiches into croutons to top a bowl of tomato soup. Grilled cheese and tomato soup is a classic duo that's been served in schools and households since World War II. Garten condenses the pairing into the most decadent one-bowl meal, saving eaters the trouble of dipping whole sandwiches into their soup. 

She keeps her grilled cheese crouton recipe simple, using only bread, butter, and Gruyère cheese grilled until browned and crispy in a panini press. These grilled cheese croutons are crispy, chewy, and creamy all at once, providing the perfect bite-sized crunch for each spoonful of tomato soup. Of all the creative hacks for grilled cheese you'll wish you knew sooner, croutons are among the simplest. All it takes is slicing a grilled cheese sandwich into cubes to transform a sandwich into one of the most decadent garnish upgrades for tomato soup.

Ina Garten keeps her recipe for grilled cheese basic, but you can make changes and upgrades for even more flavorful or texturally interesting croutons. Switch up the types of cheese in your grilled cheese for a more complex profile. Pair a sharp cheese like cheddar or Gruyère with a mild white cheese like mozzarella or a smoky Gouda. You can also add roasted red bell peppers or caramelized onions for a sweet and aromatic complement to both the cheese and the umami-rich tomato soup. You can season the croutons by infusing the butter or mayonnaise spread on the outside of your bread with herbs, spices, and even Parmesan cheese. 

Try blending Parmesan, dried thyme, sage, basil, and oregano into melted butter for an Italianized seasoning for tomato soup croutons. Similarly, paprika, garlic powder, cumin, and chili powder would give your grilled cheese a Middle Eastern flair. If you don't have a panini press, you can use the classic stove-top skillet approach. Or, if you're making croutons for a crowd, use your oven to bake enough grilled cheese croutons for multiple tomato soup bowls. And if you're worried about grilled cheese croutons getting too soggy as they sit in the tomato soup, you can refresh their crisp with a second trip to the skillet, toaster oven, or air fryer.