Soup recipes that say ‘low in calories and fat’ often bring up images of tasteless, watered-down broths – but not here! This recipe for healthy tomato basil soup has all the flavour of its higher-fat cousins without the guilt.

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 small onion (finely chopped)
• 1 stalk celery (finely chopped)
• 1 clove garlic (minced)
• 1/2 cup fresh basil (chopped)
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 2 (14-ounce) cans diced tomatoes (undrained)
• 2 cups non-fat, low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth)

Method:

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add onions, celery, and garlic and gently sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Watch carefully to make sure the garlic doesn’t brown.
3. Add basil, thyme, tomatoes, and broth of choice. Bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool a little.
5. Use an immersion blender to purée the soup. Alternatively, you can purée in batches in a food processor or blender.
6. Purée it lightly if you like your soup chunky. Otherwise, purée it fully for a velvety consistency.
7. Serve hot or on a hot summer day, chill the soup and serve it cold with a celery stalk stirrer.

This soup is naturally gluten-free and, for a vegetarian/vegan version, substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth called for.