• Tomato Soup with Pesto

• Quick Microwave Tomato Risotto

• Tomato, squash & spinach curry

Tomato Soup with Pesto

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp butter or olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves , crushed
• 5 soft sun-dried, roughly chopped
• 3 x 400g cans plum tomatoes
• 500ml turkey or vegetable stock
• 1 tsp sugar , any type, or more to taste
• 142ml pot soured cream
• 125g pot fresh basil pesto basil leaves , to serve

1. Heat the butter or oil in a large pan, then add the garlic and soften for a few minutes over a low heat. Add the sun-dried, canned tomatoes, stock, sugar and seasoning, then bring to a simmer. Let the soup bubble for 10 minutes until the tomatoes have broken down.
2. Whizz up in a blender, adding half the pot of soured cream as you go. Serve in bowls with 1 tbsp or so of the pesto swirled on top, a little more soured cream and scatter with basil leaves.

Quick Microwave Tomato Risotto

Ingredients

• 250g risotto rice
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 50g butter
• 250ml vegetable stock
• 500ml carton passata
• 500g punnet cherry tomatoes
• 100g ball mozzarella, drained and cut into large chunks
• Grated parmesan and shredded basil , to serve

1. Tip the rice, onion and half the butter into a large microwave-proof bowl. Cover and cook in the microwave on high for 3 minutes. Stir in the stock and passata, then continue to cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Give it a good stir and mix in the tomatoes and mozzarella.
2. Microwave on high for a further 8 minutes until the rice is cooked and the tomatoes have softened. Leave the risotto to relax for a few minutes, and then stir in the remaining butter, parmesan and basil. Season to taste and serve straight from the bowl.

Tomato, squash & spinach curry

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, halved and sliced
• Olive oil
• 2 tbsp madras curry paste
• 1 small butternut squash, about 500g, cut into chunks
• 5 tomatoes, quartered
• 100g spinach, roughly chopped
• Rice, to serve

1. Cook the onion in 1 tbsp of oil for 5 minutes until softened. Add the curry paste and cook for 3 minutes. Add the squash, tomatoes and 200ml water, stir well.
2. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes until the squash is just cooked and the tomatoes have broken down. Stir through the spinach and leave for a couple of minutes to wilt. Season and serve with rice.