Tomato soup is a staple in many supermarkets, but nothing beats the homemade version if you have a great recipe. I used to swear by Mary Berry’s tomato soup recipe, but since trying Jamie Oliver’s rendition, I’ve been converted.
Jamie Oliver’s creamy tomato soup, which incorporates carrots, celery and fresh basil, is as simple to prepare as he suggests on his website and can be ready in just 45 minutes. This soup isn’t just a delight to savour on its own, it also doubles as a speedy base sauce for dishes like lasagne or pasta bake.
I tweaked the ingredients below as I only wanted to make three servings instead of six.
Ingredients (serves six)
- Two carrots
- Two sticks of celery
- Two medium onions
- Two cloves of garlic
- Olive oil
- Two organic reduced-salt chicken or vegetable stock cubes
- Two 400 g tins of quality plum tomatoes
- Six large ripe tomatoes
- Half a bunch of fresh basil (15g)
Method
The method begins with peeling and roughly slicing the carrots, slicing the celery, and peeling and roughly chopping the onions and garlic. Then, in a large pan, heat two tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat before adding all the prepped ingredients and cooking with the lid slightly open for 15 minutes – until the carrots and celery have softened.
Using a measuring jug, crumble in a chicken stock cube, cover it with 500ml boiling water (or use 1.5L if making six servings) and stir until it has dissolved, reports the Express.
I then added the stock to the pan along with tinned and fresh whole tomatoes, including the green part where the stalk emerges. After a good stir, I brought it to a boil before reducing it to a simmer for 10 minutes with the lid on.
Meanwhile, I picked the basil leaves off of the stalks. Once the time was up, I removed the pan from the heat and seasoned it with sea salt and black pepper before stirring through the basil leaves.
Using a stick blender, I liquidised the soup until the texture was smooth before going in for another taste test to see if it needed more salt or pepper. The soup tasted incredible and paired well with ciabatta bread.
You could also serve it with a cheese toastie if you’re looking for more of a hearty meal.