Every so often I crave soup and today happened to be one of those days. Soup is an ideal go-to meal because you can create a soup based on whatever you have in your fridge. Today, I was actually planning to make a thai curry which is why I had a few bell peppers sitting in my fridge. Well, I guess that plan failed because I used up all the red peppers to make a roasted red pepper and tomato soup. A much better choice, if you ask me!
Tomato soup has always been a comfort food of mine. But add in some red bell peppers and the result is electrifying. These two vegetables were meant to be paired. It's that simple. But the real secret in getting this pairing of incredible flavours to shine is to roast the vegetables. The roasting process creates magic. You can taste the intense flavours that result in every single spoonful.
And it doesn't stop there. Along with intense flavours comes immense health benefits. You know the saying "an apple a day, keeps the doctor away"? Well, can I suggest changing it to "a red bell pepper a day, keeps the doctor away"? Here's the quick run-down on why I think that should be:
- red peppers contains more vitamin C than the daily requirement
- red peppers are a powerful antioxidant
- red peppers help prevent anemia (due to their folate and vitamin B6 content)
- red peppers can activate metabolic rate, aka. help you burn more calories!
I could continue, but I am already sold.
In my experience, it has been hard to incorporate such a nutritious vegetable into my diet (apart from in a boring veggie and dip platter). So this soup is such a life-saver! I personally make double the batch and freeze the rest for a colder day. I highly suggest you do the same this summer! Seriously, double or triple the quantity 🙂
Tip: for extra creamy soup, add 1/2 cup of milk or cream.
Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 cups 1x
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Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup: It's easy to make gourmet soups at home. Spice up your soup regime today with this roasted red pepper and tomato soup | aheadofthyme.com
Ingredients
- 2 red bell peppers, seeded and halved
- 3 tomatoes, cored and halved
- 1/2 medium onion, quartered
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
- 1-2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning blend
- 1/4 teaspoon ground paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon. ground cayenne pepper, or more to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Place red pepper, tomatoes, onion and garlic on a baking tray. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Arrange the tomatoes and bell peppers with the cut-side up. Bake for 45 minutes, until vegetables are tender.
- In a medium saucepan, heat the vegetable broth on medium heat. Add the roasted vegetables (reserve half a red bell pepper for garnish), tomato paste, parsley, paprika and cayenne pepper. Stir to combine. Simmer for ten minutes.
- In a food processor or blender, purée the soup and transfer back into the pot. Cook on low heat for another 5 minutes. If you desire a thicker consistency, cook a few minutes longer. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
- Pour the soup into a bowl and garnish with the reserved roasted red pepper. Serve with crackers.
This soup was easy to make and delicious. It might be a little spicy for my kids with the cayenne pepper - we’ll see. But I like the spice.
★★★★★
Made this soup tonight - but cooked it in my 10 qt. Electric Pressure cooker. in 30 minutes with a 10-minute natural release. Then pureed it in my Ninja bullet and returned it to the pot to thicken it a bit. I also used Mrs. Dash Original seasoning - 1 teaspoon - in place of the Italian seasoning and 1 teaspoon of sugar to help cut the acid in the peppers and tomatoes. It turned out fantastic and now I have enough for 8 lunches frozen in 1 - 1/2 cup portions in freezer bags for when the weather is cold and rainy. I really liked that everything is natural with no MSG or preservatives. The tomato paste that I used is Hunts - no MSG in that. Thanks for posting this recipe.
No problem Kathi! So glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂