What gets more basic than grilled cheese? Just two bread slices with cheese in between, and if you’re feeling fancy, you can place other fillings, like caramelized onions. But even without that extra flavor, grilled cheese is amazingly delicious, especially when the bread is perfectly toasted and the cheese perfectly melted.
With such a simple treat, you must pair it with a simple side dish, too, so the cheesy, toasty flavors shine. Popular choices include French fries and tomato soup, but if you want to discover more about what to eat with grilled cheese, keep reading!
1. Creamy Tomato Soup with Butter Croutons
Grilled cheese with rich tomato soup on the side is a classic and heartwarming combination. You can dunk your sandwich into the soup, so the two flavors meld together. Doing so also makes the grilled cheese softer and more tender; thus, easier to eat. This recipe also makes the soup with butter croutons to get more texture.
2. Creamy Roasted Tomato Basil Soup (No Cream)
The first tomato soup recipe is excellent and flavorful, but if you want yours with no cream, try this one, as it uses a potato instead. Besides that, the recipe also adds a layer of complexity by introducing fresh basil flavors, which are sweet, savory, minty, and peppery. You’ll also roast the tomatoes with garlic, which makes their taste profile more pronounced and caramelized.
3. Sweet Potato Soup
If you prefer sweeter flavors over acidic ones, you should follow this sweet potato recipe. Like tomato soup, it’s indulgent, thick, smooth, and delicious and has a bright, eye-catching color. However, the taste is distinctly different, as it’s the harmonious blend of sweetness, tang, and smokiness. Dunk your grilled cheese into this, and you’ll never feel more satisfied.
4. Creamy Carrot Soup
Did you know you can make soup out of carrots? You may find that a pleasant surprise, but it’s easy to make this bright orange treat. The prominent flavor is the sweet carrots, but you also get hints of savory flavors from the spices and bacon. The creamy texture, courtesy of heavy cream, is silky smooth, so every sip feels luxurious and rich.
5. Chicken Noodle Soup
If you want meaty flavors with your grilled cheese, try pairing it with this chicken noodle soup. Every bowl of this warm treat feels like home, packed with familiar and savory flavors. The noodles with the sandwich might make you feel like you are consuming too many carbs. But you’ll be alright if you’re having this only occasionally, like during a cold, rainy day.
6. Sausage Tortellini Soup
Another meat and pasta soup that goes well with grilled cheese is sausage tortellini. It’s creamy, savory, and chunky, with blobs of meat and tortellini pasta bobbing across the bowl full of soup. Unlike the other soups, this recipe has distinct hints of spiciness from the added hot sauce and mustard powder. But don’t worry – they don’t overwhelm the rest of the flavors.
7. Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Soup
Cauliflower is a versatile vegetable. You can roast, steam, grill, or saute it. Using this recipe, you can even turn it into a rich, delicious, and nutritious soup. One of the critical steps in the recipe is roasting the florets before sauteing them in spices. Roasting allows caramelization, so although cauliflower usually tastes plain, you can get some sweetness from it.
8. Creamy Vegetable Soup
Convincing kids to swallow their vegetables is tricky. If you’re having that problem, here’s a trick you can do: pair grilled cheese with creamy vegetable soup. The veggies in this soup are celery, carrots, potatoes, peas, and corn; you’ll also add vegetable broth for a deeper flavor. You’ll also need herbs, spices, and milk to make the mixture flavorful. Once it’s ready and creamy, serve it with the sandwich!
9. Marinara Sauce
If you find tomato soup too smooth and juicy for you but like the acidity, try pairing grilled cheese with marinara sauce instead! This classic pasta sauce is also great with sandwiches, as they provide unique and deep flavors. You achieve that taste profile by combining fresh tomatoes with onions, garlic, olive oil, oregano, and salt; sneak in pepper flakes if you want some spice.
10. Classic Chili
The best way to elevate your grilled cheese meal is by adding another flavor dimension: heat and spice. This classic chili dish provides that much-needed fire, as you can make it with chili, cumin, and cayenne. That intense spice cuts through the richness of the tomato-based sauce and the heaviness of the protein-rich beans and beef. Thus, even if it looks simple, this chili has much to offer.
11. Baked Potato Wedges
French fries are a go-to side for sandwiches, including grilled cheese. But if you want something similar but has a more rustic feel, thicker slices, and great savory flavors, opt for these baked potato wedges instead. Like French fries, it has an outer crisp and inner tenderness, minus the oiliness. A unique smoky flavor also helps these treats stand out from other recipes.
12. Coleslaw
Pairing your warm grilled cheese with cool coleslaw allows you to achieve an excellent contrast of flavors and textures. For instance, the fresh slaw is distinctly crisp, whereas the grilled cheese is tender and melted on the inside. Also, coleslaw has a creamy, tangy flavor, whereas grilled cheese has a buttery, cheesy, and slightly salty taste profile. But all those differences come together beautifully.
13. Garden Salad
If you’re not in the mood for intensely creamy salads, whip up this light and simple garden salad instead. It’s an assortment of flavors, textures, and nutrients from mixed greens, avocados, tomatoes, cucumbers, green onions, and feta cheese. All these are tossed in a tangy dressing made from balsamic vinegar and lemon juice.
