When we were little my mum would occasionally make us Maggi packet soup as an easy dinner. Now I know that no self respecting foodie is meant to have soup out of a tin or a packet, and my mother was a foodie of note, but when you have 3 busy littlies to deal with sometimes a shortcut is well in order.

Anyway, I really loved that Maggi packet soup, and was always excited when she chose to make it. And every now and then I will still have one today… no judgement please…

But then I came across a post by @RSRloves on Instagram, and her recipe for roasted tomato soup is so easy and so tasty that I may never have that packet soup again… unless for a bit of nostalgia.

I put a little twist of my own by adding red peppers for extra depth. Here is my version of this delicious bowl of comfort.

Roasted Tomato, Red Pepper and Basil Soup

Ingredients

2 large tomatoes quartered and a punnet of cherry tomatoes
1 Red pepper, deseeded and quartered
1 small-med red onion
salt and coursely ground black to taste
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp garlic or more depending on your preference
½ tsp crushed dried red chilli
½ tsp mixed dried herbs
1/4 cup olive oil
handful of basil leaves
2 cups vegetable stock
¼ cup fresh cream or double cream yoghurt

Method

1. Place all the veg in an overproof dish or roasting pan.
2. Season with salt and pepper and add the garlic, balsamic and chilli
3. Drizzle with olive oil and mix through.
4. Roast in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes on 200 ˚C till tender.
5. Remove the veg from the oven and transfer to a blender.
6. Deglaze your roasting pan with a cup of boiling water and add to blender along with the stock.
7. Blend until smooth. This can also be done with a stick blender in a pot.
8. Decant to a pot to heat gently and stir in the cream or yoghurt. Do not let it heat too much after this.
9. Serve with crunchy croutons or focaccia on the side.