Classic lunch - Grilled Cheese and Soup

Today Matt and I decided to have an old favorite for lunch: grilled cheese with tomato soup. However, we decided to switch it up a bit and have not tomato soup, but a Sweet Red Pepper soup made by V8 for Campbell's. This seemed like the ultimate meal for a nice snowy Wisconsin afternoon off.

I'll confess. I have never really made grilled cheese, like the real kind. In the pan. I know, I know, it's awful!! A crime! (I usually make grilled cheese sandwiches in my panini press, which is a little different from making them in a pan.)

As a kid, I was never a huge fan of grilled cheese because it was made with those gross slices of American cheese (I was weird...also didn't like boxed mac n cheese, I'd only eat the homemade stuff my mom would make!). Well today Matt helped me make one that was super delicious and showed me what I was really missing out on!!

Alright, well this particular blog is really about reviewing the Campbell's V8 Sweet Red Pepper soup, not the finer points of grilled cheese, so let's move on to that.

Now, I think it is kind of funny that different brands are starting to partner up to create new food items, sorta like the food world's version of collaborating design houses in fashion. This collaboration of V8 and Campbell's is a fantastic one, producing delicious bisque-style soups. We have actually tried several of the varieties (thanks to a stack of coupons spent over several grocery visits) and each of the ones we have tried Matt and I have both enjoyed!

This Sweet Red Pepper soup is nice, smooth and basic. It is like a tomato soup that has an extra something delicious, which obviously is the red pepper flavor. The soup paired really well with our basic grilled cheeses of sharp cheddar on white bread. Flavor also abounds in this soup, but it isn't overly spiced, salted or peppered.

It also has enough weight to it that it feels like eating an actual meal, something I usually don't feel with soups. The soup also would be a great to-go lunch for two days when split into servings. The price isn't too bad for a home-cooked tasting soup, at around $2.50-$3 for two servings, and the calorie counts are not too bad either at 120 calories per serving!

The Kiefer Kitchen totally recommends this soup, and can also say with confidence (look forward to reviews of these in the future) that the Golden Butternut Squash soup is another great tasting soup from this line. I hope if you try it, you enjoy it as well on a nice snowy afternoon!