3 Soups to Pair with Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.

As the king of grilled cheese, I'm obligated to know a thing or two about soups. I decided to challenge myself to make Chicken Stock, Chicken Noodle Soup, Tomato Soup, and Ramen from scratch. These are the recipes for the three soups I made during this video. Thanks Brittney for writing these!

About the Recipe

Don't you hate it when recipes start with someone's entire life story... yeah me too. I'm never gonna do that. If you need help finding lactose free ingredients, please take a look at the database tab.

Ingredients For The Stock

• 1 Whole 7-8 pound chicken

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 Tablespoon paprika

• 1 Teaspoon black pepper

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil

• 2 Large carrots, chopped

• 3 Stalks of celery, chopped

• 2 Small (or 1 large) yellow onions, halved

• 1 Head of garlic, halved

• 5 Star anise

• Salt (4 teaspoons)

Preparation Of Stock

1. Fill a 12-quart pot two-thirds full (8 quarts) and bring to a boil.

2. Start by spatchcocking the chicken. Then halve the chicken, so you have two equal-sized breasts and thighs.

3. Cover the chicken thoroughly in salt (1 tsp), paprika (1 Tbsp), and pepper (1 tsp).

4. Bring a cast-iron pan to medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and then sear each side of the chicken half on medium-high heat with a tablespoon of olive oil (about 12 minutes per half). As shown in the video, you can place another pan on top to get a full sear.

5. Once the chicken is seared, add it to the pot of boiling water along with the chopped carrots, chopped celery, yellow onion halves, garlic halves, and star anise. Bring the water to a boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and skimming any scum that rises to the surface. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour - 1.5 hours (until the chicken is fully cooked - at least 165 degrees).

6. After 1 hour, remove the chicken from the broth and separate the meat from the bones. Set aside the meat (this will be added to the final soup later) and add the bones back to the broth. Simmer for another 3-8 hours.

7. After you’ve let it simmer, skim off excess oil from the top and season the broth with 4-5 teaspoons of salt (I use 5, but I’m pretty salty).

Ingredients For The Chicken Noodle Soup

• 1 small yellow onion, chopped

• 1 large carrot, chopped

• 2 stalks of celery, chopped

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil

• 8 cups of chicken stock

• 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard

• 3 cups of Dry Noodles

• 2.5 cups of shredded chicken

• 1 tablespoon of cornstarch

• 3 tablespoons of whole milk (if lactose intolerant, you can reference my database to find lactose-free whole milk alternatives)

• 2 tablespoons of butter

• Several sprigs of fresh thyme

Preparation Of Chicken Noodle Soup

1. Heat a Dutch oven to medium heat and add 1 TB of olive oil.

2. Add your chopped onion, carrot, and celery to the Dutch oven. Season with salt and pepper (about half a teaspoon of both). Sauté until vegetables soften and onions begin to brown, about 7 minutes.

3. Once vegetables are softened, add 8 cups of chicken stock and a teaspoon of Dijon mustard. Bring the contents to a boil.

4. Add dry noodles and shredded chicken to the soup. Keep the soup at a boil and cook according to your noodle's packaging.

5. In a separate small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 3 tablespoons of whole milk. Stir until all the cornstarch is dissolved into the milk. Add the mixture to the soup once the noodles have cooked.

6. Turn the heat to low and add two tablespoons of butter and several sprigs of fresh thyme. Stir until butter is fully melted.

7. Cover and let sit for ten minutes until serving.

Ingredients For The Tomato Soup

• Two whole red peppers, roughly chopped

• 4-5 stalks of lettuce, roughly chopped

• 2 large carrots, roughly chopped

• 1 head of garlic, halved

• 1 red onion, peeled and cut into 8ths

• 1 yellow onion, peeled and cut into 8ths

• Salt (to season)

• Pepper (to season)

• 1 Tablespoon of olive oil

• 28 oz can of San Marzano tomatoes

• 2 Tablespoons of Tomato paste

• 3.5 Cups of Chicken Stock

• Optional: 1/2 teaspoon of Curry Powder

Preparation Of Tomato Soup

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. While the oven is preheating, chop your vegetables into medium-sized chunks. Add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to your pan and then add the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Add to the oven and cook for about an hour or until vegetables are fully cooked and lightly charred.

3. Once the vegetables are done, heat up a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the Dutch oven. If you kept the garlic skin on while roasting the vegetables, remove the outer coating and add the garlic to the pan along with the other roasted vegetables. Add the can of San Marzano Tomatoes and two tablespoons of tomato paste.

4. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, for 10-15 minutes until the color of the paste is a darker red.

5. Add the chicken stock to the soup. Use an immersion blender (or add content to a blender) to fully combine the ingredients into a smooth liquid.

6. Add 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Optional: Add half a teaspoon of curry powder.