Tomato and Fennel Soup

5 from 1 vote

Tomato and fennel soup with courgette is fresh, wholesome and naturally suitable for vegetarians and vegans. It's easy to make and freezer friendly too.

Prep Time15

Cook Time2

Total Time2 15

Course: appetiser, lunch

Cuisine: Worldwide

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 191kcal

Author: Jane Coupland

Ingredients

2 tablespoons Light olive oil
4 Large tomatoes (approx 575g)
1 Large shallot (approx 100g)
1 Garlic clove
1 Fennel bulb
1 Courgette (approx 275g)
625 ml Vegetable stock
1 teaspoon Mixed dried herbs
¼ teaspoon Black pepper
¼ teaspoon Salt
1 tablespoon Lemon juice

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Quarter the tomatoes, toss in 1 tablespoon of the oil and roast at 150C/ 300F/ GM 2 for 1½ hours
When cooked transfer them to a blender along with the sundried tomatoes and stock. Blend until smooth then set this soup base aside
Finely dice the shallot, then fry in a large saucepan using the remaining oil for 1 minute. Mince the garlic and add to the pan
Trim the base off the fennel and cut off the dry ends from the stalks. Remove any outer flesh that has browned. Slice and dice the remaining flesh and add to the saucepan. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often
Meanwhile, dice the courgette finely too, then add to the pan and cook for a further 5 minutes, again stirring occasionally
Pour the prepared soup base into the pan and add the salt, pepper and dried herbs. Drop in the fennel fronds too if not reserving them as a garnish. Cook for 15-20 minutes until all vegetables are soft
Add the lemon juice to taste (at least ½ tablespoon) and adjust seasoning as necessary, then serve

Notes

The instructions suggest dicing the vegetables finely but they can be left chunkier if preferred. Adjust the length of the final cook to ensure all vegetables are soft
If time is short use tinned tomatoes in place of the roasted tomatoes to make the soup base. The flavour won't be quite as full-bodied, but the soup will still be tasty
Don't skimp on sweating the vegetables (sautéing in the oil). This helps build up the flavour in the soup
Taste your stock before adding to the soup - if it's already well seasoned you may need to reduce the amount of salt added to the recipe later on
If smooth is the way you enjoy your soup best then feel free to blend it all once cooked
Double the recipe so there's enough for another meal. Like most soups, this tomato and fennel soup is very freezer-friendly

Storage and freezing

This soup keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days. Alternatively, it can be frozen - simply let cool completely, then decant into a suitable freezeproof container, label and freeze for up to 3 months. I like to freeze my soup in individual servings so I can grab one for a speedy lunch when there's just myself to feed.

Nutrition