For the past two weeks I’ve been battling a cold and it’s starting to become annoying.  I’m not one for sitting around but there have been some days I’ve had hardly any energy.  Actually I’m not sure if it’s a cold or allergies but I’m going with a head cold as it’s far too early for my hay fever to be here.

When I’m not feeling 100% I mostly live off soup, fresh juices and smoothies.  Pretty much anything that’s quick, easy and doesn’t involve too much thought.  I used to love a certain canned cream of tomato soup whenever I wasn’t feeling well but I can’t have it anymore as it contains milk and it also contains added sugar and I still can’t get my head round why sugar appears in almost everything these days.  Plus, it is so easy to make some soup at home and you can stock up the freezer for future.

Whilst this soup isn’t creamy it certainly tastes good and doesn’t contain added sugar!  I try to dice the carrots and celery the same size so they cook in the same amount of time.  I have also learned that cooking off the tomato puree first before the stock or tinned tomatoes are added gets rid of the bitterness which is often found with tomato puree.

Ingredients

-1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

-1 carrot, peeled & cut in to small dice

-1 stick celery, cut in to small dice

-1 red onion, diced

-2 Tbsp. tomato puree

-2 x 400ml tins of chopped tomatoes

-450ml gluten free vegetable stock or water

-handful of fresh basil leaves

-salt & pepper to taste

How To Make

Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat.  When the oil is hot add the onion, celery and carrots.  Give the vegetables a stir and saute for about 3 minutes.

Add the tomato puree and stir well.  Continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Add the stock, chopped tomatoes and seasoning.

Place the lid on the pan, bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer for 20-25 minutes until the vegetables are soft.

Add a handful of fresh basil leaves and simmer for another 2 minutes.

Remove the soup from the heat and allow to cool slightly before blending.

Either blend the soup with a stick blender or in a stand blender.  If you prefer a very smooth soup, strain it through a sieve after blending.

Check seasoning.

Serve warm with a garnish of fresh basil if you would like.

This soup keeps well in the fridge in an airtight container for 2-3 days or in an airtight container in the freezer.

Enjoy 🙂