Quick tomato soup in 25 minutes

Why this works

Canned tomatoes are packed ripe, so 10 minutes of simmering gives a full flavored soup where fresh ones would need roasting first. Frying the tomato purée in the butter for a minute takes away its raw edge.

A grated carrot softens in the time the onion takes and sweetens the soup, so it needs only a pinch of sugar to balance the sharpness of the tomatoes. The cream goes in last, which keeps it smooth and turns the soup orange.

Key ingredients

• Canned tomatoes. Chopped or whole plum tomatoes both work. Whole ones often taste a little sweeter.
• Carrot. Grated so it cooks fast. It sweetens the soup and gives it body once blended.
• Tomato purée. A spoonful fried in the butter gives a quick soup a deeper tomato flavor.
• Heavy cream. A few spoons make it silky. Milk works too, for a thinner soup.

Amounts for 1 to 6 people are in the recipe card below, in grams or cups.

Method

1. 01

   Start the onion

   Finely chop the onion. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat, add the onion with a pinch of salt and let it start to soften.

2. 02

   Add the carrot

   While the onion cooks, peel the carrot with the Y peeler and grate it straight into the pan. Cover and cook for 6 to 7 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft but not browned. Slice the garlic in the meantime.

   Y Peeler with Beech Handle
3. 03

   Fry the purée

   Stir in the garlic and tomato purée and cook for 1 minute, until the purée darkens a shade.

4. 04

   Simmer

   Add the tomatoes, stock and sugar. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat, part cover the pan and simmer for 10 minutes.

5. 05

   Blend

   Take the pan off the heat and blend with a stick blender until smooth. In a countertop blender, fill it no more than halfway and hold the lid down with a folded dish towel.

6. 06

   Finish with cream

   Stir in the cream and warm through over a low heat. Taste, season with salt and pepper and serve topped with the parsley.

What to serve it with

A cheese toastie for dunking is the classic, or crusty bread and butter. For a bigger lunch, have a bowl with an egg mayo sandwich.

Storing and reheating

Fridge

Cool quickly, cover and keep for up to 2 days.

Freezer

Freeze before the cream goes in, for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight.

Reheat

In a pan over a medium heat, stirring, until piping hot. Stir in the cream at the end.

Questions