Sweet, roasted tomatoes and delicious Sacla’ pesto combine in this easy recipe to make the perfect tomato pesto soup. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
Last month I spent a lovely evening celebrating the launch of the new La Famiglia cookbook, a brand new book from Sacla’ that contains over 30 delicious recipes that all make the most of pesto, including five from the lovely Rachel Allen. You’ll find penne with chilli pesto, Mediterranean vegetable salad and quick pesto pizza but also more surprising recipes such as pesto baked beans on toast, sweet potato burgers and pesto cake (yes really). See photos of the event and read more about it on instagram.
The first recipe I made from the book was this roasted tomato pesto soup. I’ve adapted the original recipe to make it suitable for vegans. It has delicious crunchy basil pesto croutons on top and the tomato pesto stirred through the soup gives it a lovely flavour hit.
Pesto has long been one of my go-to meals for midweek meals when I’m tired, I haven’t had a chance to cook in advance and the kids are hungry (often bordering on “hangry” – anyone else get that?). It’s just so easy to grab a jar through the cupboard and get a meal on the table in minutes that everyone will enjoy. I love that Sacla’ make dairy free pesto as well so our whole family can enjoy it. There’s a basil, a tomato and an aubergine pesto in the free from range – and they also make a vegan mayo.
My kids love the green pesto most of all – whether it’s stirred into pasta, dolloped on our homemade pizzas or spread on crunchy croutons as in this tomato pesto soup recipe. And their dad is very partial to the chilli pesto, which he’s taken to having on the side of pretty much everything.
Roasted tomato pesto soup
Sweet, roasted tomatoes and delicious Sacla' pesto combine to make the perfect tomato pesto soup. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
Ingredients
- 1 kg tomatoes halved or quartered if plump
- 2 carrots peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 large red onions roughly chopped
- 2 plump garlic cloves
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 750 ml vegetable stock (or up to 1 litre if you prefer a watery texture)
- 2 tbsp Sacla' free from tomato pesto optional
- pinch of sugar
- fresh basil leaves to garnish
For the pesto croutons
- 3-4 slices bread
- 1/2 jar Sacla' classic basil pesto
- flaked sea salt
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan)/200°C/gas mark 6.
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Tip the tomatoes, carrots, red onions and garlic into a roasting tray. Toss with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 45 minutes until soft and golden.
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While they're roasting, whip up the croutons. Tear the bread into rough bite-sized pieces, spread them out onto a baking tray and mix thoroughly with the pesto and oil and a generous pinch of salt.
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Put them in the oven, on the shelf above the veg, and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring once, until crisp and toasty (timings may vary depending on what type of bread you use). Remove from the oven and set aside.
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When the vegetables are soft and golden, scrape them all into a large saucepan along with any lovely caramelised sticky bits from the bottom of the roasting tray.
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Add the hot stock and heat gently over a medium heat. Simmer for 15 minutes then, using a stick blender, purée the soup, adding a little extra stock if needed until you get the consistency you like.
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Stir through the tomato pesto and season to taste with salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar.
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Stir well then serve with a handful of crunchy pesto croutons and a few basil leaves.
Sacla’ pestos are available from most supermarkets or visit sacla-shop.co.uk
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Disclaimer: this is a collaborative post with Sacla’. All opinions are honest and are my own.
I’ve linked this post up with Cook Blog Share hosted this week by Lost in Food.
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