Mary Berry's 10-minute tomato soup is a quick and simple recipe that uses everyday ingredients to create a warming, feel-good dinner with minimal effort. The recipe comes from her Foolproof Cooking programme and is described by BBC Food as one of her favourite family recipes.
Simple ingredients for a speedy soup
The soup requires six sun-dried tomatoes in oil, two garlic cloves, three 400g tins of chopped tomatoes, 500ml of chicken or vegetable stock, one tablespoon of caster sugar, 150ml of full-fat milk, 150ml of double cream, salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, and three to four teaspoons of pesto as an optional garnish.
Commenting on the recipe, BBC Food shared: "Mary Berry's tomato soup is quick, easy and delicious. In fact, it is one of her favourite family recipes, as she always has the ingredients in the cupboard. With no onions to chop or tomatoes to skin, it really is ready in ten minutes!"
How to make the soup
To begin, heat a large, deep saucepan over a medium heat and add one tablespoon of the oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes. Finely chop the garlic and add it to the oil, stir-frying for a few seconds until fragrant and just beginning to turn a light golden colour.
Add the sun-dried tomatoes and tinned tomatoes to the pan, followed by the stock and sugar. Stir everything together thoroughly, then increase the heat slightly and bring the mixture to a gentle boil, stirring regularly.
Finishing touches
Once boiling, season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper, stir again, and cover the pan with a lid. Reduce the heat to low and let the soup simmer gently for about 10 minutes to soften the tomatoes and develop the flavours.
After 10 minutes, remove the pan from the heat and blend the soup until smooth using a hand blender. Stir in the milk and cream until fully combined, then return the pan to a low heat and warm through gently, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed, then ladle into serving bowls and swirl half a teaspoon of pesto over each bowl just before serving.
