Spicy Tomato Bisque with Mini Grilled Pepper-Jack Sammies

Recently I came across a new  soup recipe at allrecipes.com that caught my eye.

I love tomato soup, but my hubs is not a fan. My daughter-in-law is Mexican and loves spicy food and she was pregnant at the time  and I wanted to make her something filling but pretty healthy too, so I thought that maybe, this particular soup recipe might be appealing to both of them, since it was a bit of a change of pace from the typical, more bland flavor of your run-of-the-mill  tomato soup.

I underestimated how delicious it would be. It was a huge hit with everyone at my house. My hubs actually commented on the great flavor , adding that he normally doesn't care for tomato soup.  My daughter-in-law normally adds jalapenos to everything I make because it's usually not spicy enough for her ;), but she didn't add a thing!

When I make tomato soup, I like a good grilled cheese sandwhich on the side (for dipping). I only had a package of party rye slices on hand, and some pepper-Jack cheese, so I chose to try to grill em up and see what everyone thought...another big hit! I also added a simple salad to round out the meal.

This is a simple lunch/supper that I would consider "semi-homemade"...much better than plain ole canned soup, but with some time-saving help from some cans.

Try it yourself and let me know what you thought.

For 4 servings YOU WILL NEED:


1 (28 ounce) can tomato puree
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
1/4 cup milk
4 ounces cream cheese, cubed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves (optional)

In a saucepan over medium heat, stir together the tomato puree, red pepper flakes, black pepper, basil, and sugar. Bring to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes.

VIOLA! A delicious, quick soup to satisfy even your picky eaters!

For the grilled sandwiches:

1 loaf of party rye bread
butter (for buttering both sides of each side--DO NOT use that nasty margarine!!!)
Pepper-Jack cheese ( slices cut to fit inside 2 slices of bread)

Grill sandwiches in med. skillet till brown on both sides and cheese is melted.  Set on warm plate. Make A BUNCH!

Dip in soup.  ENJOY!

And while you're at it, ENJOY a pic of my precious granddaughter, LIA ROSE MURPHY, 2 weeks old.