For a one-tin TV dinner under 500 kcal, count the whole tin and any sides, rather than relying on the label’s serving figure. Five named tomato soups range from 136 to 342 kcal per full tin as sold, calculated from listings by Sainsbury’s, Tesco Groceries and M&S. Among those five, Heinz No Added Sugar Cream of Tomato has the lowest calculated calorie and salt totals; Campbell’s condensed soup offers a different preparation format, but any milk or other additions must be counted separately.
The serving size on a soup label may be smaller than the amount you plan to eat, so start with your actual bowl.
If dinner means finishing a 295g or 400g tin, calculate its full calorie and salt totals. Several of the tomato-soup labels cited by Tesco Groceries and Sainsbury’s give figures for half a tin; bread or toppings add to the meal total.
A soup can fit a 500 kcal meal budget without having the salt level you want. Compare salt for the amount you will eat as well as calories. Action on Salt & Sugar’s 2026 analysis of 481 ready-to-eat soups sold in major UK retailers found salt levels ranging from 0.1g to 1.6g per 100g.
Check suitability and allergens on the exact product. The Heinz Cream of Tomato listing at Sainsbury’s and the M&S Cream of Tomato listing both identify milk ingredients: a vegetarian statement does not mean a soup is vegan or milk-free.
Work out the calories for the amount you will serve, then compare salt, ingredients and preparation before adding anything else to the meal.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Whole-meal calories | Check kcal per 100g or labelled portion, the pack weight and the number of portions. Calculate the amount you will eat, then add sides and toppings separately. | I might eat the whole tin, even if the label calls half a tin one serving. I want the soup and anything served with it to fit within my 500 kcal dinner budget. |
| Salt | Compare salt per 100g across similar products, then calculate salt for your portion. Action on Salt & Sugar’s 2026 analysis of 481 UK ready-to-eat soups found considerable variation: 0.1g to 1.6g per 100g. | Calories are not my only comparison. If soup is a regular evening meal, I want to know the salt in the bowl I actually eat. |
| Ingredients | Read the current ingredient and allergen declaration. Check any vegetarian statement for the exact variant; it does not establish that a soup is vegan or free from milk. | I need a product that fits my ingredient requirements, not an assumption based on the words ‘tomato soup’ or on another soup from the same brand. |
| Preparation | Check whether the soup is ready to heat or condensed. For Campbell’s Condensed Cream of Tomato, the instructions cited by Tesco Groceries call for one can of water, or a half-milk, half-water mix. | Some evenings I want to heat and serve soup; on others I may want a condensed soup for cooking. If I add milk, I need to count it in the finished meal. |
The NHS notes that a manufacturer’s portion may differ from yours. For example, Sainsbury’s lists 102 kcal per half-tin of Heinz Cream of Tomato Soup 400g; eating the full tin means two labelled portions, or 204 kcal before sides.
Check the portion weight and number of servings, then calculate the amount going into your bowl.
For the five named tomato soups, full-tin salt calculated from the cited Sainsbury’s, Tesco Groceries and M&S labels ranges from 1.6g to 2.68g. Their calorie order does not tell you their salt content.
Compare salt on a consistent per-100g basis and calculate the total for the amount you expect to eat.
The Heinz Cream of Tomato product listed by Sainsbury’s and the M&S Cream of Tomato product are labelled vegetarian but contain milk ingredients.
If you avoid milk, read the allergen declaration on the current tin rather than relying on a vegetarian label.
Tesco Groceries lists Campbell’s Condensed Cream of Tomato at 171 kcal per labelled half-tin, or 342 kcal for both portions as sold. Water used for dilution does not add calories; milk or recipe ingredients do.
Follow the tin’s preparation instructions and include any milk, cheese or other additions when totalling your dinner.
These examples illustrate differences between specific soups, not every product sold under each brand.
Sainsbury’s lists standard and No Added Sugar Cream of Tomato variants in 400g tins.
Campbell’s Condensed Cream of Tomato is a 295g soup that Tesco Groceries instructs shoppers to dilute with water, or with a half-milk, half-water mix.
Tesco Cream of Tomato Soup is listed as a 400g product with nutrition figures for a 200g half-tin portion.
Sainsbury’s lists own-label and branded products in its UK tinned-soup category.
M&S Cream of Tomato Soup is a 400g vegetarian product whose listed ingredients include double cream.
This Heinz mushroom soup is an option to consider for a soup-based TV dinner. Check its current pack details before treating it as a tinned, under-500-kcal meal.
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For a mushroom-soup TV dinner, check the current pack’s format and nutrition for the amount you plan to eat, then count any sides towards your 500 kcal total. If you avoid milk or wheat, check the allergen declaration on the pack.
No: use the calories for the quantity you will actually eat. The NHS explains that nutrition is given per 100g or 100ml and sometimes per portion, while the manufacturer’s portion may differ from yours. If a tin contains two labelled servings and you eat both, count both.
Yes, if the soup and everything you add total less than 500 kcal. The five named tomato tins calculate to between 136 and 342 kcal each as sold from Sainsbury’s, Tesco Groceries and M&S listings, but bread, butter, cheese and other accompaniments have to be counted separately.
No. Compare salt separately for the amount you plan to eat. Action on Salt & Sugar’s 2026 analysis of 481 ready-to-eat soups sold in major UK retailers reported salt levels from 0.1g to 1.6g per 100g; the calorie figure cannot stand in for that check.
It can. The Heinz Cream of Tomato listing at Sainsbury’s and the M&S Cream of Tomato listing both identify milk ingredients despite their vegetarian suitability statements. Check the current allergen declaration on the exact tin if you need to avoid milk.