Spicy tomato, tortellini and chilli soup

Tomato soup with pasta, this is real comfort food. You can roast the tomatoes before they go in the slow cooker which will give you a greater depth of flavour but, if you don’t have time, you can just throw it all in together and leave it to do its thing. As with all these soup recipes, you can make this on the hob but your slow cooker will save on energy and require less of your attention.

Serves: 6
Equipment: Slow cooker, handheld blender

INGREDIENTS

• 12 tomatoes, quartered
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
• 1 red chilli, sliced
• 5 garlic cloves, crushed or sliced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 celery stick, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• handful of fresh basil, plus extra leaves to garnish
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• 250g shop-bought fresh tortellini of your choice
• salt and pepper, to taste

METHOD

1. If you have time, preheat the oven to 180°C. Add the tomatoes to a baking tray and roast for 25 minutes.

2. Add to the slow cooker with all the remaining ingredients, except the tortellini. Cook on high for 3 hours or low for 5 hours.

3. Blitz with a handheld blender, then stir in your tortellini and cook on high for 10–15 minutes. Serve in bowls, garnished with extra basil leaves.
   
   

Tip: The better the quality of ripe tomatoes you can find, the tastier this soup will be.