Classic tomato soup recipe

Ingredients

• 30 ml olive oil
• 900g British tomatoes, halved
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 small potato, peeled and sliced
• 300 ml water
• 5 ml sugar

Method

Lightly oil a roasting tin. Arrange the tomatoes, cut side uppermost in the roasting tin. Add the garlic cloves. Season and drizzle over the remaining oil. Roast in the oven at 190°C (375°F/Gas mark 5) for 30 minutes.

Boil the potato in 300ml water until tender. Do not drain the water.

Skin the tomatoes and the garlic and put the tomato pulp and garlic into a food processor or blender with the cooked potato and potato stock and blend until smooth.

Transfer to a saucepan. Add a little extra vegetable stock or water if the soup is too thick. Stir in the sugar.

Nutrition information

Tomatoes contain virtually no fat. They are very low in calories, typically only 10-15 kcals for a medium-sized fruit, and are packed full of vitamins A, C and E.

But it's the tomato's natural red pigment, lycopene, that has had the medical profession suggesting its role as a "miracle fruit". Evidence suggests that a high intake of lycopene (an effective antioxidant) can help reduce the risk of cancer and other serious diseases.

Some nutrients are lost when tomatoes are cooked, but it is thought the concentration of lycopene increases with cooking, especially if cooked in olive oil. Processing tomatoes into more concentrated forms such as some soups and sauces increases the lycopene concentration; it also increases as the fruit naturally ripens.

Our thanks to 'I'm in season' for permission to use this recipe

Visit our soup recipe section for more soup and stew recipes, or try one of our easy soup recipes for a quick lunch or dinner.