Now that you have opened this article, you are required by universal student law to never buy one of these again.
Heinz tomato soup is everywhere. It is like the flu. It is on promotional deals and part of multi-pack buys, lurking around in many different supermarkets, corner shops and local newsagents. It is especially difficult to resist the temptation to buy a can when you can foresee a lack of activity ahead the next day with your hangover sixth-sense, and Freshers’ flu can render the most enthusiastic of chefs trappable by this product.
It makes sense to buy the ingredients for a nutritious, healthy soup instead, that you can tailor to your own taste and stretch further. You can easily make a hatch and pour it into a plastic container to freeze, ready to heat up whenever you’re feeling the cold.
If you aren’t convinced, goodtoknow.co.uk recently rated Heinz tomato soup as having a staggering amount of sugar in (4.8g), salt too (0.6g) and lastly, fat (3.0g). Cans of soup often contain lots of unhealthy artificial preservatives too.
In other words, Heinz is the Fat King of wet and rainy, lazy and hungover, overpriced and fattening tomato soup – here instead is the healthy Queen of soup: the Italian recipe. 🙂
The Italian lifestyle is the perfect parallel of the student dream. , At dinnertime in Italy, stores shut down, banks close, and streets are empty, because the Italians are too busy enjoying a one-hour meal. This is much like how campus is deserted for a couple of hours each day because most of us are napping. As students, we also appreciate Italian coffee, wine and pizza.
This recipe is taken from The Silver Spoon Italian cook-book, but tailored it for a student budget.
You will need:
A few onions, depending on how much soup you’re making. If you want to make a large batch, try four for £1.00 in ASDA – that isn’t bad at 25p each, and you can always save one behind for a different recipe. I used one red onion for my soup, which was enough for two people.
Tomatoes – it doesn’t matter which kind, as they’ll go mushy anyway, but easiest is probably a can of chopped tomatoes; you can usually get four for £1 or £2 in Tesco, or fresh tomatoes are about £1.99 per kg.
A bit of butter.
Not necessary but ideal for flavour:
100ml of double cream (if you prefer your soup creamy).
Salt and pepper (if you like these flavours) or Italian Herb seasoning if you prefer; all are around £1.50 for a bottle in supermarkets such as Tesco and ASDA.
Parmesan cheese.
1. Chop the onion into thin slices, and the tomato, if you’ve bought it fresh.
2. Melt about 25g of butter in the saucepan, and add the sliced onion. Stir occasionally for five minutes, or until it’s soft.
3. Add the tomatoes and cook for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and then either add the chopped tomatoes, or about 750 ml of water.
4. Reduce the heat and leave to simmer for between 45 minutes – 1 hour. Pour in the cream, and sprinkle the Parmesan over it if you’re eating it fresh.
Voila. Italian tomato soup:-).