Our Best Soup and Sandwich Combinations

Smoky tomato soup, fried grilled cheese, and so much more

By SAVEUR Editors | Published Sep 9, 2016 4:00 PM

Food

Roast Chicken Pan Bagnat with Olive Tapenade and Goat Cheese

This hearty twist on the classic Provençal pressed sandwich pan bagnat combines black olive tapenade, goat cheese, roasted chicken, and thinly sliced vegetables. Make it at least two to three hours before you plan to serve it to really let the flavors marry. Get the recipe for Roast Chicken Pan Bagnat with Olive Tapenade and Goat Cheese ». Matt Taylor-Gross

Roast Chicken Pan Bagnat with Olive Tapenade and Goat Cheese

Normandy-Style French Onion Soup

Fried Mozzarella Sandwiches and Hearty Tomato Soup

Venetian Fried Mozzarella Sandwiches

These crisp mini-sandwiches are deep-fried and filled with molten cheese. Get the recipe for Fried Mozzarella Sandwiches »

Bread and Tomato Soup (Pappa al Pomodoro)

This thick, porridgelike soup is a hearty way to start a meal.

Stromboli and Roasted Saffron Chicken Soup

Chicken and Broccoli Rabe Stromboli

Get the recipe for Chicken and Broccoli Rabe Stromboli

Roasted Chicken, Corn, and Saffron Soup

Classic Reubens With Matzo Ball Soup

The Original Reuben Sandwich

Pressing down on this sandwich with a spatula while it toasts in the pan is the key to achieving the outer crispness and well-melted cheese that you want in a Reuben. Pile the meat on generously but not more than an inch or two thick or else the interior won’t get sufficiently warmed.

Aunt Gillie’s Matzo Ball Soup

Chicken soup may or may not be a cure-all for physical and psychic ills, but if you add a few matzo balls it definitely becomes a deli classic. This recipe, from Gillie Feuer of Long Island, New York, was a tightly held secret, until we pried it loose. The key? Lots of veggies, and her light and floaty dumplings: “They’re very well behaved,” she told us. “They plump up just like little dolls.” The trick? “Margarine.” But, she warned, “I’m not perfect. You can see my fingerprints on them.” It might just be the fingerprints that make them so good. Get the recipe for Aunt Gillie’s Matzo Ball Soup »

Rustic Roman Braised Beef Sandwiches and Mushroom Onion Soup

Roman Braised Beef with Tomato and Onion (Picchiapò)

Beloved throughout modern trattorias and osterias in Rome, this simple, rustic dish of shredded beef braised in tomatoes and onions make a great stew and a fantastic sandwich filling. Get the recipe for Roman Braised Beef with Tomato and Onion (Picchiapò) »

Onion Fennel and Mushroom Soup

The Ultimate Grilled Cheese and Smoked Tomato Combo

Turkish Grilled Cheese (Kumru)

This specialty of Çesme, a small beach town in Turkey, is one of the world’s great grilled cheese sandwiches, in which the cheese itself is grilled before getting slipped into toasted bread with raw tomato and optional (but highly recommended) toppings of griddled sausage and pickled cucumbers and chiles. Get the recipe for Turkish Grilled Cheese »

Smoked Tomato Soup

In this twist on the classic comforting soup, tomatoes are smoked on the stove top before being reduced with red wine and puréed. The smokier taste to this soup compliments grilled sausage well in the ultimate grilled cheese sandwich—the Kumru. Get the recipe for Smoked Tomato Soup »

Schnitzel and Creamy Chilled Potato Soup

Pork Schnitzel Sandwich

Chilled Mexican Potato and Leek Soup (Sopa de Poro y Papa)

Double Dose of Crab

Softshell Crab Sandwich with Slaw

A crisp collard slaw and tangy tartar and cocktail sauces top pan-fried softshell crabs in this classic sandwich. Get the recipe for Softshell Crab Sandwich with Slaw »

Maryland Ying Yang Crab Soup

Lightened with vegetables, ying yang soup gives a double dose of briny crab flavor to softshell sandwiches. Get the recipe for Maryland Ying Yang Crab Soup »

Carnitas and Tortilla Soup

Carnitas Tacos (Michoacán-Style Braised Pork Tacos)

At the Viva Taco bus in Turlock, Silvestre Valencia adds jalapeño pickling liquid to the pork braise, which tenderizes the meat and keeps it from drying out. See the recipe for Carnitas Tacos »

Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup (Sopa Azteca)

This simple pasilla chile- and tomato-based soup is ladled onto tortilla chips and topped with creamy avocado, jack cheese, and tangy Mexican crema. Get the recipe for Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup (Sopa Azteca) »

Pork Belly Gyro and Chilled Yogurt Soup

Pork Belly Gyro

Chilled Yogurt and Chickpea Soup

Lobster Rolls and Clam Chowder

Brown Butter Lobster Roll

A simple mix of brown butter, lemon juice, and salt gives this lobster roll a warm, nutty flavor.

Manhattan Clam Chowder

The briny, classic Manhattan-style chowder is made with two types of clams and plenty of tomato. Perfect for adding a briny helping to browned butter in lobster rolls. Get the recipe for Manhattan Clam Chowder »

Cuban-Style Medianoche and Stew

Cuban Medianoche Sandwich

With roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, and pickles, it’s almost identical to a Cuban sandwich, save for the bread, a sweet egg load that’s similar to challah. Get the recipe for Cuban Medianoche Sandwich »

Cuban-Style Chicken Stew (Fricasé de Pollo)

This soup draws flavor from alcaparrado, a mix of pimento-stuffed olives and capers, and sweetness from raisins and along with the medianoche, makes a hearty Cuban-inspired meal.