Tomato Soup

A quick and easy meal, full of flavour and so much better than a shop bought tin.

Ingredients

1 onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 large carrot, chopped

1 stick celery, finely chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 teaspoons dried basil (or mixed herbs)

1 tin plum/chopped tomatoes

1 stock cube

handful of fresh basil sprigs (optional)

Level:

Easy

Serves:

4 servings

Prep Time:

Cook Time:

Prepare ingredients up to the stage described in the ingredients list.
Gently fry the onion, carrot and celery in a pan with a splash of oil for 5 minutes until softened.
Add the garlic and herbs. Fry for 1 minute then add the tomatoes and stock.
Simmer for 15 minutes or more until the tomatoes are soft and there are no big chunks that can’t be squashed.
Finely chop and add the fresh basil (if using).
Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
Blend until smooth using a hand blender.

Top the soup with a drizzle of olive oil and a few basil leaves to serve

After washing the carrot, keep the skin on rather than peeling it. The skin of fruit and vegetables is higher in fibre, vitamins and minerals than the flesh!
You can use 5 or 6 good sized fresh tomatoes instead of tinned.
Add a little spice to your life, add a pinch of chilli flakes with your herbs.