If you aren’t feeling well, there’s pretty much nothing better than a bowl of Campbell’s condensed tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich (made with American cheese, please). Hell, even if you feel perfectly fine, it’s a really filling, savory, and delicious meal. Cut that sandwich diagonally and get to dunking. Heaven. Question is: Can the flavor of this classic pairing be condensed and canned? Campbell’s Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup is testing the premise. It’s a limited time offering that’s “set to hit shelves at select grocery stores soon,” according to Campbell’s (very vague)—but should you rush out and get it or just stick to your usual soup and sandwich? We tasted it to find out.
This soup claims to contain multitudes—in this case, grilled bread, gooey cheese, and savory-sweet tomato soup—and that’s a tall order. Does it pull it off? Not quite. Is it good? Sure! It’s Campbell’s tomato soup.
Pros: If you like Campbell’s condensed tomato soup, you’re going to like this. It’s like a slightly saltier, slightly richer, slightly creamier version of the genuine article. It reminds me of Campbell’s condensed tomato soup that was made with a can of milk rather than a can of water, even though I made this one with water. My colleague Jordan Myrick thought they detected a touch of a bacon-y flavor, which I suspect could have been an attempt to channel the flavor of grilled bread through food science. Me? I couldn’t taste it at all. Cons: It’s good, but it doesn’t quite nail the flavor combo. It could have had a much cheesier flavor—I was definitely let down in that respect. Sure, you could rush out to buy a can of this before it vanishes from shelves (if it ever materializes on shelves near you), but you could also dissolve a few cubes of Velveeta in regular ol’ Campbell’s tomato soup and get a better result. If you try it, tell me how it is.
Howdy! I’m Gwynedd, Sporked’s managing editor. I live in Los Angeles and have access to the best tacos the U.S. has to offer—but I’m a sucker for a crunchy Old El Paso taco night every now and then. I’ve been at Sporked since 2022 and I’m still searching frozen mozzarella sticks that can hold a candle to restaurant sticks.
Why you should trust me: I’ve been a journalist for 20 years (yikes), a consumer of food for 40-plus years, and I’m truly hard pressed to think of foods I don’t like (or that I can’t tolerate at the very least). Oh and one time I cooked my way through Guy Fieri’s cookbook and wrote about the journey through Flavortown.
What I buy every week: Trader Joe’s Original Savory Thins. Fat free plain yogurt (usually Fage or Nancy’s). Honeycrisp apples. Sweet cream coffee creamer for my at-home Americanos. A frozen cauliflower crust pizza and some jarred mushrooms to top it with. Old El Paso Stand ‘N Stuff taco shells and Gardein Ground Be’f, even though I think “be’f” is a nightmarish contraction.
Favorite ranking: Stouffer’s frozen dinners. I don’t own a microwave (I get my cancers the old fashioned way!), so I love taste testing things that I don’t really buy to eat at home.
Least favorite ranking: Soy sauce. Don’t get me wrong, I love soy sauce—but consuming that much sodium in one sitting is probably illegal in some countries. Our frozen enchilada taste test was a close second; the smell of microwaved corn tortillas still haunts me.
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!
I would love to buy this. I already buy the tomato soup and make it with milk. I eat a lot of soups because I am recovering from tonsil cancer. Initial it was hard for me to swallow water without pain and I could not have tap water. I am able to eat your tomato soup just fine now.
Bill, literally EVERYTHING you eat has been genetically modified. Potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, peas, green beans, chicken, beef, pork, etc. There is absolutely nothing that we’re eating in 2024 that hasn’t been genetically modified. Nothing. If you were to get into a Time Machine and go back a thousand years, the food you’d see would be vastly different. Here’s the thing: Genetically modifying food is a good thing. Generally, it tastes better and has a much higher yield, allowing us to feed far more people. I’m looking at you, dwarf wheat.
You’ve been told things about genetics and food that simply aren’t true, by people with an axe to grind and who don’t have any idea what they’re talking about.
Amazing review, id love to write reviews about candies, potato-like chips and or sodas that are odd or really obscure. Please reach out to me gwynedd..
Gwynedd Stuart
Jon Gutierrez
Justine Sterling
Vinz Karl
It’s very delicious I can’t find where but once I found it at Walmart and they don’t have it anymore I would like to get some more
I like this soup I bought it from Amazon for $1.99, and now the price went to $6.99.
I would love to buy this. I already buy the tomato soup and make it with milk. I eat a lot of soups because I am recovering from tonsil cancer. Initial it was hard for me to swallow water without pain and I could not have tap water. I am able to eat your tomato soup just fine now.
I no longer eat ANY canned soups. They are very unhealthy, aside from the excessive salt. Research before you injest.
I absolutely love Campbell Tomato soup and grilled cheese, I was love to try the two I one in the can
I’ve quit eating Campbell’s soup because it has bioengineered or GMO ingredients. Is bioengineered lab produced meat?
Bill, literally EVERYTHING you eat has been genetically modified. Potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, peas, green beans, chicken, beef, pork, etc. There is absolutely nothing that we’re eating in 2024 that hasn’t been genetically modified. Nothing. If you were to get into a Time Machine and go back a thousand years, the food you’d see would be vastly different. Here’s the thing: Genetically modifying food is a good thing. Generally, it tastes better and has a much higher yield, allowing us to feed far more people. I’m looking at you, dwarf wheat.
You’ve been told things about genetics and food that simply aren’t true, by people with an axe to grind and who don’t have any idea what they’re talking about.
I want to try this I live win
Went with the Rao’s tomato soup and grilled my own cheese tonight but I’ll definitely watch for this in the future.
Been looking everywhere for this soup since you had it on mythical. But just saw it’s not released until April!
Amazing review, id love to write reviews about candies, potato-like chips and or sodas that are odd or really obscure. Please reach out to me gwynedd..