Simple Tomato And Bean Soup, 19p. [VG/V/DF/GF] – COOKING ON A BOOTSTRAP

This simple staple started off as a tin of baked beans, thoroughly rinsed, plus a carton of chopped tomatoes – out of which I made a hearty, filling soup suitable for lunch or a light supper. I’ve jazzed it up a bit since then! And don’t be scared of rinsing baked beans, they are normally just haricot or borlotti or cannelloni beans slathered in ‘that’ bright orange tomato sauce, and the value range versions are much cheaper than their plain counterparts. In case you’re interested, this recipe cost 15p per portion in 2012, and is up to 19p per portion 6 years later. Not the worst price rise I’ve seen when rewriting my older recipes, but still a little annoying.)

Serves 4 at 19p each

1 medium onion, 9p (80p/1.5kg, Sainsburys Basics)
2 cloves of garlic, 4p (35p/2 bulbs of garlic, Sainsburys Basics)
1 carrot, 6p (90p/1.5kg, Sainsburys Basics)
500ml stock made with 1 stock cube and water, 3p (30p/10 stock cubes, Sainsburys Basics)
1 x 400g tin of beans, 25p (25p/420g, Sainsburys Basics baked beans)
1 tsp thyme, 1p (80p/100g, KTC or Natco brand at any major supermarket)
1 x 400g carton or tin of chopped tomatoes, 30p (30p/400g, Sainsburys Basics)

Peel and chop the onion, peel and finely chop the garlic, wash and chop the carrot. Put them all into a saucepan and cover with the stock.

Drain and rinse the tinned beans, then throw them into the pan.

Add the herbs and the chopped tomatoes, then simmer for 30 minutes until the veg are soft.

This soup can be served chunky – by tipping half into a blender, pulsing and mixing the purée back in with the chunky half in the pan – or smooth, by pulsing the lot in a blender.

Tips: For a lighter summer version, add a splash of lemon juice, use chicken stock in place of the beef and parsley instead of the woody herbs. use less stock for a thicker mixture, which once blended can be frozen in ice cube moulds and used as a delicious pasta sauce.