Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup
With red peppers, tomatoes, garlic and fresh herbs, this easy, creamy roasted red pepper and tomato soup is my favorite way to warm up on a cold day.
When the temperatures drop and the days get shorter, the comfort food recipes come out. There’s something about a chill in the air and a warm kitchen that just feels extra special to me. Among my favorite comfort foods is a warm bowl of this roasted red pepper and tomato soup.
I also break out this recipe, along with some cheesy red pepper focaccia bread, and a nice glass of red on date nights at home with the husband.
Thankfully, this recipe is pretty easy and enjoyable. There are a few extra things not included in a typical tomato soup recipe, however – cheesecloth, twine and lots of fresh herbs. You’ll use them to create an herb sachet, which sits in the simmering soup and flavors it. I love this technique because you get a full bodied and flavorful soup without having to search and dig out the herbs later. I did that the first time I made this recipe. It tasted wonderful, but wasn’t pretty.
And gosh, this soup is just so pretty, isn’t it?
There are two ways to add the cream in at the end of this recipe. You can stir it in for a uniformly creamy soup or pour and swirl it in for an artistic finish and garnish with some leftover fresh herbs.
And there you go – a delicious soup that’s perfect for date nights, dinner parties, and a self love night at home (my personal favorite)!
Did you like this recipe? You might also like my recipes for Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup and Broccoli Cheddar Soup.
Until next time. X
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Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup
Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup
With red peppers, tomatoes, garlic and fresh herbs, this easy, creamy roasted red pepper and tomato soup is my favorite way to warm up on a cold day.
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: about 8 cups 1x
Ingredients
- 2 lbs vine ripened tomatoes
- 2 red bell peppers
- 1/4 c. unsalted butter
- 1 medium or large yellow onion, diced
- 3 tsp salt
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 c. flour
- 3 c. chicken or vegetable broth
- 5 basil leaves
- 4 dried bay leaves
- 1 fresh rosemary sprig
- 2 fresh thyme sprigs
- 2 fresh oregano sprigs
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 3 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 c. heavy cream
Things you’ll need:
- Cheesecloth
- Kitchen Twine
- Blender, Immersion blender or food processor
Instructions
Cut the tops off of the tomatoes and bell peppers and scoop out the seeds. Place them on a sheet pan and broil in an oven, flipping them often so that all sides are soft and charred. Set aside to cool 5 minutes, then remove the skins.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and season with 1 tsp of the salt and sauté for about 8 minutes, until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the garlic and continue to cook for about 1 minute longer, stirring often so the garlic doesn’t burn.
Whisk in the flour, stirring constantly for 3 minutes. Slowly add the broth, stirring so that there are no lumps. Add the tomatoes and red pepper.
Create an herb sachet using the cheesecloth and kitchen twine (cut a piece of cheesecloth large enough to hold the basil, bay leaves, rosemary, thyme and oregano, then join all of the edges at the top, herbs inside, tying off with a piece of kitchen twine).
Add the sachet of herbs to the pot and season with the remaining salt, black pepper and paprika. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 25-30 minutes.
Remove the herb sachet then transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. At this point you can either stir in the cream for a uniformly creamy soup, or you can pour about 1/4 c. heavy cream into each finished bowl for a creative swirl. Garnish with leftover fresh herbs, if desired.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stove/Oven
- Cuisine: Italian American
Best recipe that I’ve tried for roasted red pepper and tomato soup. I made the recipe as-is. I used ‘Better than Bouillon Chicken base’ and all fresh herbs from my garden. 5 stars.
I used one less teaspoon of smoked paprika which was a good call, I wish I’d cut the salt to 2 teaspoons as well. It might have been my chicken broth, that was too salty. Not sure I’ll make it again.