God Bless the Humble Tomato

Okay, okay, I know I keep saying this, but I LOVE soup. It's like the best thing ever. So full of lovely nutrients, hardly any calories, and really filling. I could easily live off the stuff.

I took a couple of days off work this week, so I decided to make a vat of tomato soup to tide me over during the day. It's quick, cheap and really easy to make.

Tomato Soup

You will need (serves 4):


900g tomatoes
1 red pepper
1 large red onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 crushed clove of garlic
2 teaspoons dried oregano
A couple of fresh basil leaves (optional)
Salt and pepper to season
600ml vegetable stock

Preheat the oven to about 180 c / 160 c fan.

Chop up the tomatoes, pepper and onion and whack in a roasting tray. Drizzle in olive oil and add the salt, pepper and oregano. Then, give the tray a quick shake to ensure that all of the tomatoes are covered in oil.

Pop in the oven and roast for about 40 minutes until the veggies are all charred and squishy :)

Then spoon all of the stuff (including the juice) into a food processor and add the stock.

If you don't have a food processor, I seriously recommend investing in one. Basic ones go for really cheap, and will easily pay for themselves in the money that you'll save on expensive shop-bought packaged food.

Blitz together on a high setting.

BONUS POINT!!! Hold the stock, blitz for slightly less time and BOOM. Low fat, cheap and easy chunky pasta sauce. Sorry, just throwing that one out there.

However, for the soup, keep going until the mix is nice and smooth. Then transfer to a big pot and heat gently for a minute or two.

I know what you're thinking: "but it's summer! Who wants to eat soup in SUMMER?"

I have two words for you:

BBC weather.

I rest my case.

ENJOY!