Red Devil is an old family recipe that goes back at least to my Great – Grandma Robinson.
It is a simple recipe that is full of bold flavor and comforting to me because of the many memories associated with it. Four simple ingredients and you are good to go with a delicious meal that is sure to stick to your ribs. Condensed tomato soup, sharp cheese, a little water, and some unsalted saltines is all you need to make a batch of Red Devil. At this point you may be thinking that this doesn’t sound very appetizing. But wait a minute, what is the most famous accompaniment to tomato soup? Grilled cheese sandwiches! So maybe this isn’t so crazy after all. I will admit that it is an obscure recipe. I have searched the internet and I cannot find anything like it.
My great grand parents were your typical awesome old couple.
I would often tag along with great grandpa when he would run errands. One of these errands would be to the local general store. This store was a treasure in itself. It had old creaky wooden floors, an old fashioned post office in the back, well stocked shelves, and just about any piece of hardware that you might need in an emergency. You could also fill your gas tank. I sure miss South Canaan’s old general store.
But the key to this story was the old fashioned deli counter.
Sure it was well stocked with the typical deli fare but what always fascinated me was the huge wheel of sharp cheese. Gramps would place his order and the knife would come out to slice off a wedge with crumbles of tangy goodness falling to the old butcher block. Next, he would pick up some soup and crackers and usually a pack of Teaberry gum for me.
Now I never actually saw Great Grandma Robinson or even Grandma Schweinsburg make the Red Devil.
I guess I learned to make it from my mother and father. The next time I saw the cheese and soup it would be combined in a pot which would be placed steaming on the kitchen table. And there in that cozy little kitchen, following great grandpa’s lead, I would build cracker towers with the wonderful goodness of that soup and cheese mixture ladled in between the layers.
All you need is tomato soup, extra sharp cheese, and unsalted saltines.
Although my wife and kids prefer salted tops. (shaking my head)
I like to use 8 ounces of cheese for one family size can of soup.
We usually triple the recipe which leaves enough for leftovers.
It really is simple.
Just combine the soup with a little water and cook over medium low heat stirring frequently to avoid sticking. Then add the cheese.
Stir the cheese in and continue cooking and stirring until melted and combined and almost boiling.
Start your base.
Unsalted crackers were traditionally used. My wife and kids prefer salted crackers.
Now the fun part. Start ladling on some of the delicious mixture and continue layering until the cracker sleeve is used up.
A little sharp cheese sprinkled on the top!
Now dig in!
My wife and kids have forsaken tradition and just crush some crackers into the cheesy soup. Heaven forbid!!
- 1 Family size can of condensed tomato soup
- 8 Ounces Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- ¼ can water
- Unsalted Top Saltine Crackers
- Combine soup and water in small pan and slowly heat stirring often.
- When mixture is almost boiling add grated cheese continually stirring to avoid sticking.
- When cheese is melted and well combined and the mixture is almost boiling remove from heat.
- Layer crackers and soup mixture on alternately on a plate until one sleeve of crackers is used or to your liking.
Dawn McKinney says
My great grandparents made something very similar to this. The did this with toast instead of crackers. Something my father made was canned asparagus that’s cut in pieces mixed into cream of asparagus soup ,thinned just enough to be creamy not soupy and made with milk,add salt and pepper to taste. This was put over toast also.