Versatile Vegetable Soup

Ingredients for  4  Servings

• 2 tbsp

  Vegetable oil
• 1

  Onion, finely chopped
• 2

  Garlic cloves, crushed
• 400g tin

  Chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsp

  Tomato purée
• 1 tsp

  Dried oregano
• 1

  Vegetable stock cube
• 250g

  Root vegetables, such as carrots or parsnips, peeled and thinly sliced or cut into roughly 1cm chunks
• 250g

  Green vegetables, such as 1 courgette, halved and sliced, and 125g green beans, trimmed and cut into three
• -

  Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Approximate Times

• Preparation :

  Less than 30 minutes
• Cooking :

  10 to 30 minutes

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and gently fry the onion for 5 minutes, or until softened and very lightly browned, stirring regularly. Add the garlic and cook for a few seconds more, stirring.
2. Tip the tomatoes into the pan, add the tomato purée and oregano and simmer for 2–3 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Add 1.2 litres of water (you can fill the empty can of tomatoes with cold water three times so you don’t have to use a measuring jug) and crumble over the stock cube.
4. Bring the soup to a simmer, then add any vegetables you like. Add root vegetables first and cook for 10 minutes, before adding the raw green vegetables such as beans or courgettes and cook for 5 minutes. Cooked or frozen vegetables should be added for the last 3 minutes of cooking. Stir regularly and add extra water if needed.
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve in deep bowls topped with grated cheese if you like.