Grilled Cheese Croutons

Soup and grilled cheese - a pretty classic American combination, right? And you dip the sandwich into the soup, right? But, what if the grilled cheese was made into croutons that you actually put in the soup? Genius, right? I can't take credit for this genius idea because I saw it in several places floating around the web. But the part of my brain that's responsible for recognizing other people's genius ideas immediately knew I had to make this.

I didn't really bother looking up anyone's recipe because I think we all pretty much know how to make grilled cheese, right? Of course, everyone has their favorite method and any one of them would work fine here. The recipe below is the way that I usually make it but feel free to use whatever bread and cheese you like. I should tell you that I definitely had my own way of slicing the croutons and here was my methodology: one piece for me, one for the soup bowl...one piece for me, one for the soup bowl... So, as you can see...um...you should probably consider making more than one grilled cheese sandwich. Enjoy!

Ingredients
2 Slices of your favorite bread (I like sourdough)
1 Tablespoon light butter
2 Slices sharp cheddar cheese
Non-stick cooking spray

Butter one side of each of the bread slices and place cheese in between. Place the sandwich on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and spray the top with non-stick cooking spray. Bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 10 minutes, flip, spray the other side and continue baking for an additional 10 minutes. Allow to cool just enough to handle and cut into 1" cubes. Serve with your favorite soup or try my cream of chicken soup, corn chowder, creamy pumpkin soup or potato and leek soup.