Tomato soup is tastier if you ditch sugar and cream for 1 simple ingredient instead

Tomato soup is an incredibly cosy dish that is easy to cook, but it might come out bland and boring if you do not know how to make it properly. It is really common to add sugar or cream to tomato soup to balance the sharp acidic taste of the tomatoes, but all this does is dull the flavour with fat or sweeteners.

This will result in a soup that feels really heavy, but Marzia, a cook and founder of Little Spice Jar, has shared that a better way to make tomato soup is with basil pesto. She said: "That super concentrated flavour of basil pesto makes this tomato basil soup NEXT LEVEL STUFF. The pine nuts and parmesan cheese from the pesto add such nice depth and creaminess that you'll forget about adding that heavy cream or half and half in and opt for this more flavourful [and] healthier option instead."

Basil pesto is a simpler alternative to cream and sugar, as it is naturally made with ingredients that can cut the acidity in tomatoes without smothering the taste.

The olive oil in the pesto adds a richer and more silky texture, while the Parmesan and pine nuts contribute a creamy, nutty depth. Fresh garlic lemon will brighten the soup with a burst of freshness.

This is a really simple recipe but it greatly enhances the soup by balancing the acidity of the tomatoes ingredients rather than masking it with lots of cream or sugar.

How to make tastier and healthier tomato soup

Ingredients

For the soup:

• 900g of Roma tomatoes
• 450g of cherry tomatoes
• One medium onion
• Six to 10 garlic cloves
• Three carrots
• 80ml of olive oil
• 240ml of vegetable or chicken stock
• Two tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
• Half a teaspoon of red pepper flakes
• Two to four tablespoons of homemade basil pesto

For the basil pesto:

• 45g of basil leaves
• 30g of grated parmesan cheese
• 30g toasted pine nuts
• Two tablespoons of lemon juice
• Two teaspoons of minced garlic
• One teaspoon of lemon zest
• 120ml of olive oil

Instructions

To begin, place a rack in the centre of the oven and preheat the oven to 190C. Then, add the tomatoes, onion, garlic and carrots to a large tray.

Pour the olive oil onto the vegetables and then season with salt and pepper. Do not worry if the tray is overcrowded and the ingredients are sitting on top of each other.

Place the tray in the oven and let the ingredients cook for one hour. Check on the tray halfway through cooking (at the 30 minute mark) and toss the vegetables so they evenly cook.

While the vegetables are cooking, make the basil pesto. Simply add the basil leaves, parmesan cheese, minced garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice and pine nuts into a blender. Blitz and keep adding a little of the olive oil at a time until you have a smooth texture.

Once the soup vegetables are ready, place the roasted vegetables in a blender and blitz until completely smooth. Then, pour into a large pot over a medium heat.

Add the chicken or vegetable stock, and allow the soup to simmer until completely heated up, which should take about five to seven minutes.

Then, add the balsamic vinegar, red pepper flakes and homemade basil pesto. Your delicious homemade tomato soup will then be ready to serve.