Is this enough?

[Elizabeth86]

I am curious if your family would consider canned tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches qualify as dinner at your house or would your group expect more? 

[rebcoola]

That's enough at my house.

[scholastica]

3 minutes ago, Elizabeth86 said:

I am curious if your family would consider canned tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches qualify as dinner at your house or would your group expect more? 

It’s been enough here, but every family is different.

[SKL]

Definitely enough.

[Innisfree]

For us, that would work for an occasional meal, and would be thoroughly enjoyed. We would add a green salad, though. We wouldn’t have it more often because the grilled cheese is very rich, and the canned tomato soup we like is full of high fructose corn syrup. I was so shocked when I read a label as an adult and learned that about a food we had routinely when I was growing up.

[Pawz4me]

It would be plenty for DH and me. But we are old. 😉 No way would it be enough for our young adult sons. It wouldn't have been enough for them after about 10 yo.

[prairiewindmomma]

It wouldn’t be enough for my teens….maybe if they could do three full sandwiches each. That’s a ton of fat and sodium, though, so it’s easier to add to the meal with other dishes.

[catz]

I am not a fan of canned soup.  But you can make tomato soup in less than 20 minutes with a couple big cans of crushed tomatoes, low sodium broth and a few ingredients (I usually throw in onions, garlic, basil, maybe a little dairy may sneak in carrots, peppers, etc) I always have on hand and then I have enough for leftovers too.  

But easy soup and sandwiches, sure, fancier than some of our meals around here!  🙂  My kids would eat this for a meal, but they would probably have a snack later too then.  

Edited October 5, 2022 by catz

[Katy]

Multiple sandwiches for bigger kids, and a salad for bigger kids & adults. And then yes.

[prairiewindmomma]

Adding…soup and grilled cheese is enough if it’s a full stew type of soup. Tomato soup is just so thin, there’s no staying power in that for my teens.

[Pawz4me]

We often have just soup for a meal, but typically something heartier than tomato (I don't like tomato soup anyway). For DH and me just a good soup is enough. If one of the boys is here I'll heat up some frozen rolls for them. And we always have some fruit for dessert--apple and mandarin orange slices or some in season melon or berries.

Edited October 5, 2022 by Pawz4me

[alisoncooks]

Enough for me, but I’d add apple slices or pb celery sticks for the teens. Something like that. 

[fraidycat]

Yes, it would qualify. If they expected more, I would expect them to make more happen. In my world, an expectation amounts to volunteerism. 
 

Thanking someone for volunteering to make something happen that they have complained about is an effective way to get them to shut up. Works in families, board meetings, and other places in between, in my experience. 😉

[SKL]

TBH, with teens, I think it's enough to have the ingredients available, or even to provide the credit card for the grocery visit to buy the ingredients for that meal.

Of course my teens are always welcome to prepare a better meal if that is what they want.

[HomeAgain]

For the most part, yes, that would qualify as dinner.  If anyone wanted more, they know they are all capable of making eggs, sandwiches, or burritos.

[Loowit]

It would work for DD and I.  But not for DH and the boys because they wouldn't eat the soup.

[Laura Corin]

27 minutes ago, Elizabeth86 said:

I am curious if your family would consider canned tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches qualify as dinner at your house or would your group expect more? 

We would expect at least one copious fresh veg to go with.

[prairiewindmomma]

True, my kids in my own house would happily eat what I made, thank me for it, and then make themselves Second Supper. 
 

We usually have:

First Breakfast

Second Breakfast

Lunch

Tea

Supper

Second Supper

Elevensies—11pm style 

We ran bloodwork and growth plate X-rays on them. They are healthy and fit, just blowing through calories. 

[KSera]

That would qualify here for sure. Not all of mine like tomato soup, but they would just eat the grilled cheese and that would be fine. Even my teens don’t typically eat multiple sandwiches in a meal, so it would be plenty in our family. 

[BusyMom5]

Sandwiches would need some meat on them, and no one but me likes tomato soup.  So no-   Not a meal in my house.

[Drama Llama]

If I'm running in late and want to get something on the table fast, absolutely, although I tend to serve fruit at most meals so I might slice some apples or throw some grapes at the children.  

Soup, plus either grilled cheese, quesadillas, or cheese and crackers, and fruit is a pretty common meal here. 

[Drama Llama]

28 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

It would be plenty for DH and me. But we are old. 😉 No way would it be enough for our young adult sons. It wouldn't have been enough for them after about 10 yo.

My kids would solve that problem by eating 4 sandwiches each.  

[Bambam]

It's enough. 

But I like to add bacon and thinly sliced dill pickles to my grilled cheese. It's enough without, but so much better with!

We make our own tomato soup though - and freeze containers so we have some later too. 

[bluemongoose]

38 minutes ago, Elizabeth86 said:

I am curious if your family would consider canned tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches qualify as dinner at your house or would your group expect more? 

We would add a salad. The teens would eat more than one sandwich though.

[HomeAgain]

5 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

True, my kids in my own house would happily eat what I made, thank me for it, and then make themselves Second Supper. 
 

We usually have:

First Breakfast

Second Breakfast

Lunch

Tea

Supper

Second Supper

Elevensies—11pm style 

We ran bloodwork and growth plate X-rays on them. They are healthy and fit, just blowing through calories. 

😄 This is ds12's eating schedule.

We keep a pretty good diet so I'm not worried, plus the amount of activity he gets is insane some days.

 

[Elizabeth86]

I was just curious. I need to go shopping (don’t want to) and we have some canned soup and grilled cheese sandwich supplies. I AM making that for dinner 🤣, I just was curious if you all would call it good enough at your house.

[ScoutTN]

I make tomato soup from scratch in about 10 minutes; no canned soup here. But yes enough for a lighter supper. A staple winter comfort meal here. My Ds15 might go light in soup and have 2 sandwiches. We do like ham or bacon on our grilled cheese, if it’s available.

I use tomato/veggie cocktail from our CSA 1:1 with homemade chx stock for the soup base and it is fabulous!

[stephanier.1765]

I'd absolutely call it good. I'd ask everyone how many sandwiches they wanted before starting and make that many. That meal is actually a treat here because it's something I don't usually do, like having breakfast for dinner is a treat.

[wathe]

Yes.  Keyword being sandwiches, plural, not sandwich, singular.  My young teen boys eat a lot.

Ideally, I would add some fresh veg (probably something super easy like sliced cucumber).  But it would be fine without.

[sweet2ndchance]

Soup and grilled cheese is on our dinner menu rotation. Older kids definitely eat more than one sandwich. Some like a little ham on their sandwich instead of just cheese. I also make breakfast toasters with tater tots for dinner sometimes. A breakfast toaster is just a grilled cheese with a sausage patty in it. Similar to breakfast toasters at Sonic.

[Hilltopmom]

Yes but add apples or carrot sticks.

[marbel]

I don't remember the ages of your kids. 

My girl is a light eater, so she'd have a small bowl or cup of soup and a half sandwich and it would be fine.

For my boy... up to about age 10 that would be fine. After that, no, it wouldn't be enough unless he ate two sandwiches. Which would be OK sometimes, but not very often. 

My husband would be OK with it, but he wouldn't be particularly happy with that for dinner. That's more of a lunch to him. BUT he would not complain. No one would complain, but they might get more food later. 

(An aside, I agree with the poster who said making tomato soup is super easy.  I've been making this recipe for years, using crushed tomatoes for ease. I don't always add any dairy but it is delicious. Half and half or milk is fine as well. I don't usually have heavy cream around. It also doesn't have to be pureed if you start with crushed tomatoes unless you have people who like it very smooth.     https://www.marthastewart.com/343299/creamy-tomato-soup )

Edited October 5, 2022 by marbel

[Tap]

Yes, but tomato soup here is thick with stewed tomatoes, peppers and cream. I make grilled cheese on a thick crusty bread with lots of cheese. 
 

Even my teen athletes would get filled on that at our house. 

[kokotg]

1 hour ago, Elizabeth86 said:

I am curious if your family would consider canned tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches qualify as dinner at your house or would your group expect more? 

That's exactly what we have most Mondays, when we have a really short window between DH getting home and he and DS needing to leave for wind symphony rehearsal.

[Catwoman]

19 minutes ago, Elizabeth86 said:

I was just curious. I need to go shopping (don’t want to) and we have some canned soup and grilled cheese sandwich supplies. I AM making that for dinner 🤣, I just was curious if you all would call it good enough at your house.

Normally I would say no, but if you don't have anything else and you don't feel like shopping, I would say YES!!!  🙂 

[skimomma]

That would be a treat in my house.  I don't do canned tomatoes soup (why is it SWEET?!?), but like others, I can make it just as quickly in my Vitamix with pantry staples.  And the only bread we ever have in the house is 100% whole grain and homemade, so nearly a meal on its own.  If I have veggies, salad, or fruit on hand, I would add it as a side but if not, no worries for a "sometimes meal."

[Elizabeth86]

4 minutes ago, marbel said:

I don't remember the ages of your kids. 

My girl is a light eater, so she'd have a small bowl or cup of soup and a half sandwich and it would be fine.

For my boy... up to about age 10 that would be fine. After that, no, it wouldn't be enough unless he ate two sandwiches. Which would be OK sometimes, but not very often. 

My husband would be OK with it, but he wouldn't be particularly happy with that for dinner. That's more of a lunch to him. BUT he would not complain. No one would complain, but they might get more food later. 

(An aside, I agree with the poster who said making tomato soup is super easy.  I've been making this recipe for years, using crushed tomatoes for ease. I don't always add any dairy but it is delicious. Half and half or milk is fine as well. I don't usually have heavy cream around. It also doesn't have to be pureed if you start with crushed tomatoes unless you have people who like it very smooth.     https://www.marthastewart.com/343299/creamy-tomato-soup )

Mine are all under 11 and none are big eaters. Just dh and me. 🤣

[Faith-manor]

At my house yes. Now the men folk might eat two bowls and two sandwiches, but they would not complain because they love my homemade tomato soup.

[Elizabeth86]

19 minutes ago, ScoutTN said:

I make tomato soup from scratch in about 10 minutes; no canned soup here. But yes enough for a lighter supper. A staple winter comfort meal here. My Ds15 might go light in soup and have 2 sandwiches. We do like ham or bacon on our grilled cheese, if it’s available.

I use tomato/veggie cocktail from our CSA 1:1 with homemade chx stock for the soup base and it is fabulous!

No kidding? So tomato juice and chicken stock?

[cjzimmer1]

While I wouldn't eat those actual items, going with the idea of a thin soup and a sandwich, it would be enough food for myself and my 3 youngest kids.  My DH and 3 oldest kids would all need more.

Edited October 5, 2022 by cjzimmer1

[ScoutTN]

1 minute ago, Elizabeth86 said:

No kidding? So tomato juice and chicken stock?

Well, it’s tomato cocktail, like V8, from a local, beyond-organic farm. Many veggies in it. 1:1 with homemade stock, then add some heavy cream and S&P to taste. I often add fresh basil and a can of fire roasted or petite diced tomatoes.

[Meriwether]

Yes, of course.

[Rachel]

Yes it’s plenty, in fact it’s one of my favorite meals. My husband and boys would add ham to their grilled cheese sandwiches. My oldest would likely have two. My daughter would pout about the soup, because she hates tomatoes, but luckily I know that and usually have her favorite soup in the fridge. 

Edited October 5, 2022 by Rachel

[skimomma]

My throw-it-together soup is 16 ounces of canned tomato, half a small onion, one carrot, one celery stalk, S&P, a sprinkle of basil and 1/2 cup half-n-half.  Either Vitamix until hot or use a normal blender and heat after blending.  This serves two.  Scale up as needed.  If I am missing the carrot and/or celery, no worries....I might add celery flakes.  Same with half-n-half....sub in regular milk, non-dairy milk, a half block of silken tofu, or go without.  

[JustEm]

Nobody in my house, including me, would eat tomato soup, especially if it was canned.  But we often have soup and sandwiches or soup and a piece of bread for dinner. So, substitute the tomato for something like butternut squash and it'd be a dinner here.  Some kids would either have two sandwiches or multiple bowls of soup if they were still hungry

[Storygirl]

It would be enough here, though I would add apple slices on the side. My teens are not big eaters, and no one would need a second sandwich. Except for DS18, who eats lightly at supper and has a big snack or second meal later in the evening. He would be happy to eat more soup and sandwich later, if there were any leftover.

I do make homemade tomato soup occasionally, but we also like the canned kind. I make canned tomato soup with milk, never water, so it's creamy and has more calories than if made with water.

We like goldfish crackers or oyster crackers to sprinkle on top of the soup, but they don't add much extra substance.

Edited October 5, 2022 by Storygirl

[Storygirl]

1 minute ago, Storygirl said:

 

Oops -- quoted myself instead of hitting the edit button.

Edited October 5, 2022 by Storygirl

[Elizabeth86]

Haha well, I think dh is picking up some groceries on the way home.

Edited October 5, 2022 by Elizabeth86

[Drama Llama]

1 hour ago, Elizabeth86 said:

I was just curious. I need to go shopping (don’t want to) and we have some canned soup and grilled cheese sandwich supplies. I AM making that for dinner 🤣, I just was curious if you all would call it good enough at your house.

Yep, that’s exactly when we’d have something like this in my family. 

[Jean in Newcastle]

It wouldn’t work in my family because various people have issues with gluten, carbs, dairy and nightshade vegetables. But it works in your family and that’s all that matters.