Simple Recipes to Use Leftover Tomatoes

Everyone loves a bowl of warm tomato soup on a cold day. But tinned soups often contain dairy, and some contain hardly any tomatoes! So why not make your own? Don’t believe the marketing, homemade soup is far better than you-know-who’s cream of tomato soup!

This homemade tomato soup (It’s Liv B) is made with just 4 ingredients: a can of canned diced tomatoes, an onion, some vegan butter (Flora has no palm oil) and salt (plus optional dried basil). And water! You just simmer the ingredients,  then cool a little and blend!

Read our post on food safety for people and pets (tomatoes, onion and garlic are unsafe near animal friends). Also bin tomato and allium scraps (onion, garlic, shallots, leeks, chives) as like rhubarb/citrus scraps, acids could harm compost creatures.

If you like making soup, two little tools will make life a lot easier. An immersion blender (just stick it in the soup pan to whizz up, to avoid the faff of using and washing blenders). And silicone  Souper Cubes (sold in Lakeland), you can pour leftovers into these ‘big ice cube trays’, then just ‘pop a frozen soup’ out when you want to heat up on the stove.

Choose organic tomatoes (others are sprayed with pesticides). If growing your own, read our post on pet-friendly gardens (keep tomatoes away from pets), and never face indoor plants to outdoor gardens, to help stop birds flying into windows).

Homemade soup can also be adjusted to taste. Add basil or not. Decide whether to leave it chunky, or blend it smooth. Serve with crusty bread or sourdough toast, and a crisp green salad. Cool leftovers before chilling in a sealed container, for up to 3 days.

You can also make simple adjustments to vary your homemade tomato soup:

• Add roasted red peppers or a touch of smoked paprika.
• Add chilli flakes, or a swirl of chilli oil before serving.
• Stir in cooked lentils, for a heartier bowl.
• Add autumn/winter herbs (thyme or rosemary)
• Add grated carrots for sweetness

Troubleshooting:

• Too thin: Simmer uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes to reduce.
• Too thick: Add water, a splash at a time.
• Too acidic: Add a pinch of sugar or a splash of coconut milk.
• Flat flavour: Increase salt slightly, add black pepper and fresh basil.

Real fresh tomatoes (not in tinned soup) are rich in vitamins A and C (plus potassium, good for your muscles). The fibre in real fresh tomatoes is good for your heart and digestion, and helps you to feel full. Without having to eat half a loaf of bread, with your bowl of tomato soup!

If you do choose canned tomato soup, look for organic brands like Suma. Pop the ring-pull over the can before recycling, to help avoid wildlife getting stuck inside.

This Homemade Tomato Basil Soup (So Vegan) is a very simple recipe to make a basic favourite, if you like to make your own soup now and then, rather than always opening a tin.

Avoid tomatoes for nightshade allergies (avoid cherry tomatoes for choking hazards). Keep tomato recipes away from pets due to salt, onion, garlic etc (green tomato plants are toxic to pets, horses & donkeys). Read more on food safety for people and pets. 

Bin onion (and all allium) scraps. Like citrus & rhubarb, acids can harm compost creatures.

To skin a tomato, place a small cross in the bottom, cover with boiling water for 30 seconds, drain and pour cold water over. Due to lycopene (a red phytochemical) they are good for prostate issues – if you get up all night to pee, try a tomato soup or salad!

You only need a few ingredients including fresh ripe tomatoes, onion, garlic, good veggie stock, fresh basil and balsamic vinegar (splurge on this for taste, you only need a little and it keeps well). The ‘creaminess’ comes from vegan cream, which you can then swirl on top as well.

If you like making soup, invest in a stick blender, as it saves all the faffing around with washing jug blenders.

When buying a new electrical appliance, UK says the store has to take the old one back. So take the dusty broken jug blender back to the store you buy a new one from, and it will be recycled on for you.

Also invest in Souper Cubes. Made from silicone, just pour leftover soup in, then freeze and the soup is ready to thaw and cook, whenever you want it.

Tinned Tomato Soup Options

For days when you just want a tinned soup, Heinz now offer a plant-based cream of tomato soup. It’s sold in stores and (made with soy cream) it seriously tastes just the same. You would never know the difference.

For small cafes and hotels that prefer to support artisan home-grown companies, Suma sell multi-packs of canned soup online. This is not ‘creamy’ but just add a can of plant milk to each can you cook, to transform it into ‘creamy soup’ to serve.

Spicy Tomato Italian Gnocchi Recipe

Gnocchi with spicy tomato sauce (Ela Vegan) is a super-simple supper (potato gnocchi is quicker to cook than pasta, in 3 minutes or so). Add to boiling water, then when the gnocchi rises to the top of the pan, it’s ready.

Flavoured with red pepper flakes, this a take on pasta arrabbiata (‘angry sauce!)  Gnocchi is so-called as the pieces look like ‘knuckles’ (Italian translation). Mr Organic is a good brand (or bakers can make their own). Serve this dish with vegan Parmesan.

Tomato & Artichoke Salad (with chickpeas)

This Tomato & Artichoke Salad with Chickpeas (Short Girl, Tall Order) is a refreshing summer lunch recipe, making use of fresh tomatoes and canned artichoke hearts, along with tinned chickpeas for protein and calcium.

To skin a tomato, place a small cross in the bottom, cover with boiling water for 30 seconds, drain and pour cold water over. Due to lycopene (a red phytochemical) they are good for prostate issues – if you get up all night to pee, try a tomato soup or salad!

After preparing the vegetables and herbs, strain the tinned artichoke hearts and chickpeas, then just mix up and add a homemade dressing (oil, vinegar, garlic powder, parsley, salt and pepper). Add capers or olives for an Italian twist.

Olive oil is better for salad dressings health-wise than for cooking (rapeseed oil is better). Having said that, Italians and Greeks tend to be healthier than us (often simply because they eat more vegetables).

But for a salad, good cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil can’t be beat. Some people say we should not eat oil at all (and get all fat from real foods – i.e olives over olive oil). There are debates.

Tomato, Onion & Cucumber Salad

This simple tomato, cucumber & red onion salad (Broke Bank Vegan) is a step up from the ‘slice of lettuce, cucumber and tomato) for a side salad. Made with Roma, cherry or grape tomatoes, the recipe also uses fresh herbs, garlic, Dijon mustard, seasoning, vinegar/lemon juice for tang  and olive oil.

Pasta with Spinach, Tomatoes & Chickpeas

Spaghetti with Roasted Tomato, Spinach & Chickpeas (Munch Meals by Janet) is a super-simple supper with lots of protein from tinned chickpeas, but is very affordable.

Seasoned with salt, pepper, oregano and garlic powder to roast the tomatoes, adding more tomato paste and crushed tinned tomatoes to the dish, alongside optional kalamata olives. Check out Janet’s cookbook.

You can now buy plastic-free pasta grown with British wheat from The Yorkshire Pasta Co and Northern Pasta Co. Top with vegan Parmesan (conventional Parmesan is not even vegetarian as it contains a cheese made with calf rennet).

Spinach is high in vitamin K, potassium and oxalic acid, so check medication and avoid for kidney stones/disease.

Avoid basil for bleeding disorders or low blood pressure (it can slow blood clotting).

Grow Your Own Organic Tiny Tomatoes!

GrowBar’s Tiny Tomato Bar is a super-easy way to grow your own tomatoes. This collection of miniature tomatoes (red and yellow) are great for summer salads. are great for summer salads.

Read  up on pet-safe gardening (many plants, mulches and fruit trees are unsafe near animals. 

Avoid facing indoor plants to outdoor gardens, to help prevent birds flying into windows.

The bars are nestled in fertile coir (coconut fibre), packaged by a small team in South London. The film wrap is made from sugar cane waste, and easily recycled.

To use, just unwrap the Growbar and place with the brown protective paper facing up, in a container with plenty of space to expand. Gently pour half a litre of water into the tray, then position indoors on a warm bright sunny windowsill (not facing gardens, to avoid confusing birds).

The seeds should be 18°-22° to germinate. Water regularly to keep it the colour of rich dark ginger cake. When the seedlings produce 4 to 8 leaves, gently separate into little flowerpots, where they will continue to grow on the windowsill (or plant in a sunny weed-free spot in the garden).

Tomato leaves don’t like over-watering so keep the leaves and stems dry, and use a weekly dose of liquid feed for more abundant tomatoes.