Homemade soup is nutritious and saves time when you're wondering what to cook for lunch. I love this soup recipe for its simplicity and its excellent flavour - you can cook it using a saucepan on top of the stove or use a slow cooker.
Making soup is a fantastic way to help prevent food waste, and you can switch up the recipe depending on your taste buds. You can make some soups heartier by adding lentils, rice or pasta. Kitchen staples are perfect for adding a bit of a kick to your soup, like, garlic flakes, chilli flakes and spices such as cumin or curry paste.
Here's a lovely simple recipe for roasted tomato soup.
INGREDIENTS
Two tins of 400g whole plum tomatoes
One medium white onion, cut into quarters.
Six peeled garlic cloves
Two tablespoons of olive oil
One teaspoon of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper
One pint (0.57L) of vegetable stock (stock cubes)
Small bunch of basil leaves, finely chopped.
Salt & Pepper to taste
HERE'S HOW I MADE IT
Pre-heat oven to 400F. In your baking dish, spread out the whole tin of plum tomatoes. Place onions and garlic at intervals throughout the baking tray. Sprinkle evenly with 1/2 teaspoon of coarse salt and 1/4 teaspoon of Pepper over the tomato mixture, and then drizzle with two tablespoons of olive oil.
You can use fresh peeled and cut plum or English tomatoes, but you get more flavour using quality tinned plum tomatoes for this quick and easy recipe.
Pop the tray in the oven uncovered for twenty minutes, stir and roast for a further twenty minutes.
If you're using the stovetop method, add the roasted tomatoes to your stock and half the chopped Basil to a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring gently to the boil, turn down to low heat, and simmer for 20 minutes.
Cooking utensil tips: Why are heavy-bottomed pans better?
A thicker pan has more distance between the cooking surface and the heat source. When the heat flows to the cooking surface, it will have spread out evenly because heat diffuses as it flows, and you get more heat. https://ameliadanver.com/what-qualifies-as-a-heavy-bottom-pan/
If you're making this soup for the following day, use a slow cooker and set the heat to a low setting. Add the roasted tomatoes, stock and basil, stir and leave to cook for 2-3 hours. If you don't have fresh basil, a teaspoon of basil pesto paste will do.
Allow the soup to cool, then use a blender to puree, or if cooking in a pot on top of the stove, use a hand blender once cool. Never puree when the soup is hot.
Food Processor tip: When pureeing soup that is quite warm, fill your blender or processor to the halfway mark. Hold the lid tight and blend on a low setting.
To eat the same day, reheat gently on top of the stove and serve with a sprinkling of fresh chopped basil, hearty wholemeal bread, garlic bread or crackers.
To consume within a few days - Store the cooled soup in the fridge
using Kilner or glass jars with a screw-top lid.
Food waste tip: You can make tasty soup croutons using leftover bread.
Ideal for making croutons are rolls, cut loaf bread, French bread, or garlic bread. Cut up into cubes, drizzle a little olive oil, and roast in the oven for around 15-20 minutes (while your tomatoes are cooking).
Croutons can be stored in recycled glass jars or popped in the freezer.
Apart from the nutritional value of this soup, tomatoes are rich in lycopene, an anti antioxidant that promotes healthy skin.
Thank you for checking in - for natural soap and skincare, please visit our other site, www. livewellnaturalskincare.