This soup is so rich and tasty you will never want to have canned tomato soup again.

Time 30 minutes
Calories per portion 286 Kcal
Fat per portion 19g
of which saturated 10.9g
Serves 2
Suitable for vegetarians
The soup without the cream topping is suitable for freezing

Butter 25g (1oz)
Onion 1, peeled and chopped
Carrot 1, peeled and chopped
Chopped tomatoes 400g can
Tomato purée 1 tbsp
Vegetable stock 300ml (½ pint)
Caster sugar 1 tsp
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Bicarbonate of soda a pinch
Green pesto sauce 1 tbsp
Crème fraîche 2 tbsp

1 Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the onion and carrot. Cook over a medium heat for 5–7 minutes, until the vegetables have softened, stirring occasionally.

2 Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, vegetable stock and caster sugar to the pan and bring to the boil. Then reduce the heat, cover the pan and simmer the soup for 10–15 minutes, until the vegetables are really tender.

3 Remove the pan from the heat and purée the soup using a hand-held electric wand or in a food processor or blender. Return to the pan, if necessary, season the soup to taste and stir in the bicarbonate of soda, which may fizz slightly, but stir until the fizzing stops.

4 Stir the pesto into the crème fraiche. Heat the soup and then pour it into warm bowls. Spoon the pesto crème fraîche on top, swirling it into the soup and serve immediately.

5 Adding the bicarbonate of soda helps to neutralise the acidity of the canned tomatoes and will help to prevent the crème fraîche from curdling as it is stirred into the soup.

Recipe taken from Good Food, Fast Dairy Cookbook

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