A wonderful warming soup for the cooler months. The addition of garlic and chilli helps support circulation and immune health so this is a great dish to ward off colds and flu. Adding a can of butterbeans creates a wonderful creamy texture without the need for dairy.
Overview
Difficulty – Easy
Time – 25 minutes cooking time
Serves – 4
What’s good about it?
Tomatoes are the major dietary source of the antioxidant lycopene, which has been linked to many health benefits, including reduced risk of heart disease and cancer. Adding fat to tomatoes increases the absorption of lycopene 4 fold.
- Preheat the oven to 200ºC, gas mark 6. Separate and peel the cloves of garlic.
- Place the garlic and chilli in a roasting tin and drizzle with olive oil. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes to the baking dish and cook for a further 15 minutes until the garlic is lightly browned and the tomatoes are soft.
- Place the beans, lemon juice, vegetable stock powder and water in a blender with the roasted vegetables. Puree until smooth and creamy.
- Pour the soup into a clean pan and heat through. Season to taste.
- Ladle into bowl and garnish with a sprig of basil.
Did you Know?
Butterbeans are a great source of both protein and fibre which helps keeping you feeling fuller for longer.
1 head of garlic
1 red chilli, deseeded
2tbsp olive oil
450g (1lb) vine ripe tomatoes, quartered
1 x 400g / 14oz can butterbeans, drained and rinsed
1tbsp lemon juice
1tsp vegetable bouillon stock powder
200ml / 7 floz boiling water
salt and freshly ground black pepper
sprig of basil to garnish