You Need To Hit Up Trader Joe's For The Best Store-Bought Tomato Soup

For a cozy night in, there's no better treat of a meal than the easy, foolproof combo of grilled cheese with tomato soup. But unless you have a knack for making homemade soups or time to let a pot simmer for hours, you've probably been in search of a worthy companion for your crunchy grilled cheese. If so, it's time to head to the nearest Trader Joe's. Plenty of stores carry various brands of tomato soup, but a lot of those store-bought options can leave something to be desired, whether that's a too-watery texture or a lack of flavor.

There's no denying that tomatoes can amp up a grilled cheese, but what sets Trader Joe's tomato soup apart is the attention to detail when it comes to delivering flavor. Trader Joe's sells a few tomato soup variations, ranging from tomato feta to tomato basil. But even its standard creamy tomato soup has a secret ingredient that puts it leagues ahead of any other tomato soup brand you've had.

The special ingredient Trader Joe's blends into its creamy tomato soup makes it the perfect grilled cheese companion for a reason — it's cheese! Trader Joe's includes a bit of cheddar cheese in its tomato soup, capitalizing on the combination we all know and love. The tangy, bright tomatoes combined with savory cheddar cheese make this store-bought tomato soup stand apart from the rest.

The tomato feta soup, sold in a plastic container instead of a carton, is another fabulous pairing for your grilled cheese, especially if you're making a Mediterranean grilled cheese recipe. Trader Joe's makes this tomato soup variety slightly creamy as well, but the tangy feta cheese is what expertly complements the blended tomatoes, with a smattering of Italian seasonings to round out the flavors. And the feta isn't blended into the soup, you can see and taste actual feta crumbles.

Now that you've found the perfect store-bought tomato soup, you can experiment with your grilled cheese recipes to create something a little more exciting than usual. A standard grilled cheese recipe with a couple of slices of American cheese certainly never hurts, but some of the best cheeses for grilled cheese sandwiches are more out of the box than you think. As long as you have a good melting cheese, you're golden.

If you want an extra melty grilled cheese, go with some brie. As long as you remove the rind beforehand, brie will quickly turn gooey, oozing deliciously from the edges of your sandwich. For Trader Joe's tomato basil soup, a Caprese salad-inspired grilled cheese with fresh mozzarella and basil pesto will pair perfectly. If you're looking to contrast the tomato's acidity with a hit of rich umami, go for an aged smoked gouda. A gouda could make for a particularly nice contrast to the spicy Trader Joe's tomato and roasted red pepper soup. No matter how you choose to cheese it up, Trader Joe's is the way to go to reach tomato soup heaven.