Smooth, Savoury tomato soup is a delicious healthy soup that is great to relish any time of the year. The bright, bold Flavour of fresh tomato is amazing in the summer, spring and the creamy richness of the soup makes it the perfect comfort dish for a winter night or a cold fall.
Although this is an easy recipe to make with amazing benefits, it needs to be just right to be a truly great tomato soup. Too thin or too thick and it will lose its charm.
Tomato soup is one of the most commonly made soups in India. The tomatoes are first roasted, stewed and later pureed to make a creamy and rich juice. This low-calorie healthy, food goes best with lightly grilled sandwiches. It can also be served as an easy light lunch or as a sophisticated starter at a dinner party.
Here is the nutrient profile of one large (182-gram) raw tomato:
- Calories: 33
- Carbs: 7 grams
- Fiber: 2 grams
- Protein: 1.6 grams
- Fat: 0.4 grams
- Vitamin C: 28% of the Daily Value (DV)
- Vitamin K: 12% of the DV
- Vitamin A: 8% of the DV
- Potassium: 9% of the DV
Benefits Of Tomato Soup:
Content
1. Bone Health
The calcium and vitamin K present in tomato soup is helpful for you to get healthy bones.
Lycopene in tomato soup improves fighting osteoporosis, bone mass. Drinking tomato soup regularly decreases the blood levels of TNF alpha by 34%.
A deficiency in lycopene can boost oxidative stress in the bones and bring undesired changes in the tissues. One can keep these issues at bay by making tomato soup a consistent drink during your meal times!
2. Cardiovascular Health
Tomato soup is full of vitamin C hence it provides arterial protection.
It promotes a healthy heart and guards it against diseases like stroke and blockage of arteries.
It decreases the deposition of excess fats in the blood vessels, decreasing bad cholesterol. Tomato soup also guards against the clumping of platelet cells in the blood.
3. Disease-Fighting Lycopene
As revealed before, tomato soup comes loaded with lycopene, the pigment that gives the fruit its bright colour.
Processed tomato has more lycopene than raw ones.
Lycopene neutralizes the oxidative damage caused by the free radicals, a molecule that causes ageing. Hence it prevents premature ageing.
A diet full of lycopene can aid us to fight strokes and chronic diseases.
We derive 13.3 milligrams of lycopene from a cup of tomato soup. That’s sufficient to keep your body fighting fit!
4. Blood Circulation
Selenium in tomato soup boosts healthy blood circulation, prevents anaemia.
Definitely, one of the great benefits of tomato soup! Just a single serving of tomato soup provides 7 micrograms of selenium, amounting to 11% of the daily recommended allowance.
5. Mental Health
Tomato soup has high concentrations of copper. It promotes a healthy nervous system.
Potassium aids in the healthy transmission of nerve signals. All these make sure that your mental health remains excellent.
6. Vitamins
Tomato soup is an excellent source of vitamin C and A. Vitamin A is excellent for tissue development. It activates the genes of the newborn cells, aiding in the growth of mature tissue.
A single bowl of tomato soup provides 16% of the daily recommended value of vitamin A.
Tomato soup is great to maintain healthy tendons and ligaments as it has lots of vitamin C.
Tomato soup provides 20% of the daily recommended value of vitamin C. So, a bowl full of tomato soup a day can definitely aid to keep the body healthy!
7. Weight Loss
Tomato soup benefits weight loss if prepared with olive oil. It can be highly beneficial for those who are on a weight loss regime.
It is loaded with water and fibre that keeps you full for a longer duration.
Dieters recommend tomato soup to burn calories and fat deposits from the body. This is definitely a delicious way to lose weight.
8. Cancer
Tomato soup is full of antioxidants like carotenoid and lycopene, which can aid in preventing the possibility of cancer in both women and men. The high levels of antioxidants in tomato soup decrease chronic inflammation and oxidative stress.
Drinking tomato soup thrice a week can help to prevent:
- breast
- prostate
- colon cancer
- stomach cancer
- colorectal cancer
9. Male Fertility
Studies have claimed that a bowl of tomato soup daily can promote fertility in men.
Lycopene in tomato soup can turn sperm into super sperm!
In a study conducted by a university in Portsmouth, six healthy men were asked to consume tomato soup for 2 weeks daily.
The results found an increase in their sperm count.
Tomato soup also aids to scavenge free radicals, which can cause infertility in men. So, if you are planning to conceive, add tomato soup to your diet!
10. Diabetes
Tomato soup can be an amazing addition to a diabetic patient’s eating habits.
It contains chromium, a mineral that aids in the regulation of blood sugar.
Recipe of Tomato SoupThere are six simple steps to make the tangiest, smoothest, creamiest and delicious homemade tomato soup. Duration to make tomato soup: 30 minutes maximum Follow the below-mentioned instructions to learn how to make the best tomato soup! Step 1 – Cooking Tomatoes1. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter/ olive oil in a pot on medium-low heat. The butter/olive oil should melt and slightly simmer. Make sure it doesn’t burn. 2. Next, add 2 bay leaves (tej patta) and fry them in the butter/ olive oil for a few seconds until lightly browned, but again make sure, it must not burn. 3. Add ½ teaspoon of chopped garlic and ⅓ cup of chopped onions to the soup pan, and stir. 4. Sauté and stir until the onions become completely translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. 5. Now add the freshly chopped tomatoes (6 to 7 medium tomatoes or 500 grams), and a suitable pinch of salt to taste. 6. Mix well. 7. Cover and simmer on low to medium-low heat until the tomatoes are softened, about 8 to 10 minutes 8. Stir in between and keep checking on the consistency of the mixture. If the liquid dries up and the tomatoes begin to stick, then add a suitable amount of water at a time and stir. But be sure to not add excess water or you’ll dilute the yummy flavours! After the tomatoes have softened, remove them from the heat and cool. Take out the bay leaves/ tej patta and discard them. Step 2 – Blending Tomatoes9. Once the tomato mixture has cooled to a point that’s safe to work with, add it to a blender jar. You could also use an immersion blender. 10. Blend to a lovely smooth consistency to make the tomato soup puree. 11. You have the option of straining the puree through a strainer for an even smoother soup, but this step is optional. 13. If you strain the puree, move a spoon through it so that everything is strained except the seeds. Step 4 – Simmering Soup Further14. Pour the tomato puree back into the pot, and add 1 cup water. Stir well. Depending on the consistency of soup you prefer, you can add less or more water – taking care that the soup does not become too thick or watery and runny. 15. Next, add 1 teaspoon of raw sugar or white sugar. 16. Mix the sugar in the tomato soup very well. 17. Simmer on low heat until the tomato soup becomes hot, but is not boiling. 18. Season with freshly crushed black pepper, and stir. 19. Turn off the heat and stir in, 1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream, depending on the desired heaviness. 20. Mix well, taste, and add salt and pepper if needed.
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Bottom Line
Tomato soup has many benefits as read above. It’s a game-changing food one can add to a health regime. But due to heavy salt content, one must make sure there should be excess consumption of the same.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION
| 1. What are the nutritional value of Tomato?
The nutritional value of One large tomato is:
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| 2. What can I do to make tomato juice more delicious?
Top the tomato soup with basil. Pair it with a grilled sandwich or bread croutons or breadsticks. It can be topped with extra cream as well if you are not calorie-conscious. |
| 3. Can you use water instead of milk for soup?
The only downside to using water and not milk is that the soup will have a thinner consistency. However, while using milk contents the milk can contain fat and calories, which also helps you keep satiated.
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| 4.What does adding milk to soup do?
Sour cream and full-fat milk can also thicken the soup, but be sure not to boil the soup after adding the dairy to avoid the soup from curdling.
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