If you’re stuck for simple lunch ideas and are sick of sandwiches then you need our easy tomato and cream cheese soup. I know what you’re thinking – cream cheese? In a soup?! But trust us – this is a creamy bowl of comfort and the cream cheese is just a lower-calorie way of getting that creaminess in without using calorie-dense cream.

Serve with a slice of bread (or crudites if you’re going easy on the carbs) and voila – you’ve got yourself a filling and nutritious meal.

Tomato and cream cheese soup

Serves: 2
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 500g baby plum tomatoes
• 1 medium onion, cut into wedges
• 2 cloves garlic, unpeeled
• 4 olives
• 50g light soft cream cheese (we used Philadelphia)
• Salt & pepper
• Feta cheese (optional)

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees.
2. In a roasting tin mix the tomatoes, garlic, olives, onion, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper together. Put in the oven for 30 minutes, giving the tin a shake halfway through.
3. Once the onions are soft and the tomatoes have gone all squishy, remove from the tin into a blender. Add the cream cheese and blend until smooth.
4. Adjust seasoning to taste, and if you prefer a smoother soup, sift through a sieve.
5. If the sauce is a little thick, simply add a touch of water until you get the consistency you want.
6. Top with feta cheese if using.

Per serving: 219 calories | 13g fat | 19g carbs | 5g protein

It is often assumed that consuming vitamin C will reduce the risk of you getting the common cold. Unfortunately, this is not the case. BUT it will the amount of time you have a cold, so settle down with a Lemsip and this tomato and cream cheese soup and that cold will be gone before you know it.

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