Recipe reproduced with permission from Glenda Bishop. Glenda is a Registered Nutritionist, wellness coach, neuroscientist and educator.

Tomato has always been one of my favourite soup flavours. As a child, the only tomato soup I knew was the stuff that came from a can, but I loved it all the same. Then as I got more skilled at cooking, I made tomato soup from scratch. But while that labour of love was seriously delicious, it honestly felt like too much work for the end result.

Then somewhere along the way, as I got more efficient (aka lazy) with my cooking style, I discovered a faster way to make tomato soup... combine a can of tomatoes with some stock, cook for a few minutes, then blitz it until smooth. Easy. But just this week, I had a stroke of absolute genius and realised I could do it even faster, leading me to create the fastest everLow FODMAP Tomato Soup that still tastes great.

Instead of starting with canned tomatoes and having to puree the soup at the end, I skipped the pureeing step by using tomatoes that were already pureed... that is, I started with passata, which is the Italian name for pureed tomatoes and what we call it here in Australia.

Passata is uncooked tomatoes that have been pureed, with the skins and seeds removed. When you buy it in bottles–it comes in 700 ml bottles in Australia–there’s normally also a little salt and citric acid (a very safe acidity regulator) added to them. So it’s basically what you’d be creating if you made tomato soup from scratch, but you don’t have todo the skinning or seeding, so this soup couldn’t be simpler. Grab some stock, add the already prepared and pureed tomatoes, add a touch of flavour (i.e. dried herbs), and as soon as it’s heated you’re good to go.

The biggest FODMAP concern with soup is the stock since regular stocks contain onions. But it’s easy to adjust soup recipes to make them low FODMAP. You can make your own low FODMAP stock, buy a premade low FODMAP stock, or buy low FODMAP stock cubes (bullion cubes). I like to use the Massel’s 7’s stock cubes, which are free from garlic and onion, and are also rather cheap.

As for the passata/tomato puree, technically this hasn’t been tested yet for FODMAPs. However, according to the Monash app, 1 tomato (119g) is low FODMAP, and it states “FODMAPs were not detected in this food. Eat freely and according to appetite”.And since passata is just blended tomatoes without the seeds or skin, it’s reasonable to expect that a 1/2 cup (125ml) serving of passata will also be low FODMAP.

One serving of this soup is 1 cup or 250ml, which isn’t a huge serving by any means. It’s more of a light meal or an appetiser. But you can easily turn it into a reasonable meal by bulking it up with other ingredients. And so long as you choose the right things to add, which can be prepared in the time that it takes to heat the soup, it can still be the fastest tomato soup ever.

You can also easily change the flavour of the soup. Sure, it will still be a tomato soup, but that doesn’t mean you have to eat it the same way every time. Which is excellent because that way you’ll never get bored and can continue taking advantage of the convenience of this soup, especially on cold winter days when you want a warming meal made really fast. See the serving notes for how to achieve both types of adaptations.

And the best part of this soup is that you can keep the base ingredients in the pantry, making it just as convenient as a canned tomato soup. But it tastes better, is low FODMAP and won’t upset your tummy. There’s really no excuses with this recipe. It’s fast, easy, doesn’t require any fancy cooking skills, and it’s cheap to make. So how about whipping up a batch of this super fast Low FODMAP Tomato Soup today?

Low FODMAP Tomato Soup

Makes: 2 serves

Serving Size: 1 cup or 250 ml

Special Equipment: just a medium saucepan

Ingredients

• 1 cup of boiling water

• 1 low FODMAP stock cube, such as a Massel’s 7’s chicken-style stock cube (see notes)

• 1/2 tsp of dried basil

• 1 cup passata

Instructions

1. Start by putting the kettle on to boil. Then grab a medium saucepan, crumble the stock cube into it and add the dried basil. When the water is boiled, add it to the saucepan and stir to dissolve the stock cube. Add the passata, stir, then put the saucepan over a low to medium heat. Allow to simmer for a few minutes until hot and cooked slightly.

2. To serve, divide the soup between two bowls. Consider serving with toast or one of the other ways described below to bulk up the soup and make it more filling.

Serving notes and strategies to adapt the soup:

You can bulk up each serving of soup and make it more filling by serving it with:

• 2 pieces of low FODMAP toast

• 1/4 cup of canned chickpeas (drained and rinsed well)

• 1/2 cup of canned brown lentils (drained and rinsed well)

• A small tin of tuna, salmon or sardines (drained)

• Ham, chopped or shaved

• Leftover cooked meats, e.g. chopped roasted meats, sausages, or meatballs

• Handful of rocket or spinach, chopped finely–the heat of the soup will cook it gently

• Leftover cooked veggies, e.g. roasted veg

• Cheese, e.g. shaved parmesan, crumbled feta, grated cheddar or mozzarella

• A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil–which is good for adding fats (and flavour), but not bulk

You can change the flavour of the soup by:

• If you have fresh herbs such as basil, oregano or dill, use 1 tbsp of finely chopped herbs instead of the dried basil

• Using paprika, cumin, or curry powder instead of the dried basil, which will change the flavour to a different style of cuisine

• Adding 2 tsp of mustard to the soup

• Adding 2 tbsp chopped olives

• Adding a few drops of garlic-infused oil or onion-infused oil for a slight flavour boost

• Adding a dash of dried chives in addition to the dried basil

• Sprinkling each serving with 1/2 to 1 tsp of dukkah

• Make it creamy by pouring in some lactose-free cream

Ingredient Notes:

• Based on the recommended portion sizes of individual ingredients in the Monash University Low FODMAP Diet app at the time of publication, this recipe should be low FODMAP provided that the recommended serving size for this recipe is not exceeded.

• If you’re using stock (bullion) cubes, it’s critical to choose a brand that doesn’t contain onion or garlic, or any other high FODMAP ingredients. I use Massel’s 7’s Chicken-Style Stock Cubes, which also happen to be gluten-free and vegan. But, if you’d prefer to use a liquid stock, you can use 1 cup of your favourite low FODMAP stock instead of the boiling water and stock cube.

• When selecting a passata, check the ingredients to make sure it’s just tomatoes and salt, with no added ingredients such as garlic, onions or flavours.

• This recipe is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free and nut-free. However, if you have an allergy to any of these items, or have coeliac disease, please check the labels on any purchased ingredients to ensure they are safe for your requirements.

Rachel is a university qualified Clinical Nutritionist based in Balmain.  She is also the busy working mum of two teenagers, so is practical and realistic with her advice . Rachel offers private consultations to improve your family's health and well-being. You can find her on Facebook and Instagram for more healthy tips and tricks. 

If you'd like help implementing a low FODMAP diet I can help you.  Find out more about my services here. If you’re after more delicious low FODMAP recipes go here.

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