Tomato, basil & orzo soup
An easy, filling and delicious soup
5 mins
30 mins
285 kcals
serves 4
TOMATO, BASIL AND ORZO SOUP
I’ve been trying to cook soup more for easy lunches as it’s so handy to make in big batches and just reheat, but I do often find that I’m hungry an hour after eating it unless I’ve had bread with it! That’s why I tried out this tomato, basil and orzo soup. The orzo just adds a little more texture and filling power.
I nearly always use chopped tomatoes in soups, as generally I don’t have the time to roast fresh tomatoes and I think the results using chopped are often just as good, if not better!
A real key to good tasting tomato soup is getting the level of salt right- once it’s blended try it, and if it tastes a little dull, try adding a few more grinds of salt- it’s amazing what a difference it makes when you get it just right- it just gives it that lift and brings out all of the flavours!
Ingredients
- 2 tins chopped tomatoes
- 2 carrots washed but unpeeled and roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic chopped finely
- 1 onion peeled and diced (pre-chopped frozen onion is also perfect!)
- 1 litre vegetable stock
- 1 large handful fresh basil leaves
- 1 tsp oregano
- 225 g orzo
- salt and pepper read the note above about salt levels- it’s key!
- low calorie cooking spray or spray oil
Instructions
- In a large, deep pan, fry the onion and garlic using low calorie cooking spray/spray oil for 2-3 minutes until the onion has softened
- Add the tinned tomatoes, vegetable stock, oregano and carrots and simmer, uncovered, on a low heat for 30 minutes
- In the meantime, cook the orzo according to the packet instructions
- Season the soup, throw in the fresh basil, and blend using a hand blender or in a food processor until the soup is nice and smooth
- Stir in the drained orzo
- Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with a little extra fresh basil
Absolutely love this recipe. It’s so tasty and very filling. I love to add a bit of Parmesan to mine. Another fab recipe Pip 😊