Vegetable Soup with Cheesy Toast

Cheesy toast adds a touch of luxury to this low-fat, tasty autumnal soup.

Ingredients

1 finely chopped leek

2 finely chopped carrots

1 finely chopped potato

1 finely chopped garlic clove

1tbsp finely chopped rosemary

410g can drained and rinsed chickpeas

2 x 400g cans of chopped Italian tomatoes

425ml vegetable stock

3tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1/2tsp sugar

Toasts

50g finely grated Edam cheese

8 baguette slices cut diagonally

1 clove garlic, halved

Instructions

1. Place all the vegetables into a large saucepan with the stock, sugar, rosemary and garlic. Season, stir and bring to a simmer before covering.
2. Cook vegetables for 15 minutes until just tender.
3. Preheat grill to high and place tomatoes in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add tomatoes to vegetables with the parsley and chickpeas and heat gently, stirring occasionally.
4. To make the toasts, rub both sides of bread with the garlic and grill on one side until golden. Turn over the toast, sprinkle with Edam and grill until bubbling. Serve immediately with the soup.