Italian Tomato Soup

This full-flavoured tomato soup is robust, healthy and quick to make. I like to finish it with a handful of fresh mint or basil, but a drizzle of cream is an indulgent alternative.

From Feed the family for $15 or Less by Sophie Gray
Published by Random House NZ

Costs: $4.56
Serves 4–6

Ingredients

• ½ tbsp butter
• ½ tbsp oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 stalk celery, very finely chopped
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and grated
• 1 x 800 g can chopped tomatoes
• 2 cups chicken stock
• ½ cup fresh basil leaves, or a good handful
• a pinch of dried thyme or a sprig of fresh
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• salt and black pepper
• a handful of chopped fresh basil or mint, or a swirl of cream to garnish

Method

Heat the butter and oil in a heavy-based saucepan. Add the chopped onion, garlic, celery and grated carrot and cook gently until soft. Pour in the chopped tomatoes and chicken stock, add the basil leaves, thyme, sugar and salt and pepper, and simmer for 15 minutes. Process or blend

the soup and return to a clean saucepan. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding sugar, salt or pepper as desired.

If you want you can press the processed soup through a sieve, which produces a finer-textured soup. I like the slightly rustic texture of the unsieved soup myself.

To serve you can add a swirl of cream or for a healthier option add a sprinkle of freshly chopped mint, which adds a lovely zing to the finished soup.