This rich, bright and creamy soup is packed full of vegetables and so easy to make, that you will never open a tin of soup again. Get ready for autumn and winter by making a big batch of this comforting and healthy Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup. A delicious blend of fresh tomatoes, roasted red peppers and plenty of basil.
I know I might have said this about a soup before, but I actually think this is the best soup I have ever made. Perhaps even the best soup I have ever tasted! You can say that about your own recipes, right?
The roasted red peppers give it such a rich flavour and it's a great way to use up a lot of tomatoes. At only 109 calories a bowl it would make a good snack or a very light meal. Serve it with chunks of crusty bread and you have a comforting and warming meal to get you through a cold day.
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Why should you try it?
- Ready in just 20 minutes
- All natural ingredients
- Low in calories
- Full of vitamins
What you will need
- Vegetables - To make the soup base. We used onion, carrot celery and some garlic.
- Roasted red peppers - The stars of the show. Either roast your own or use shop bought.
- Fresh plum tomatoes - Or any fresh tomatoes; the fresher the better.
- Vegetable stock - Either home made or store bought is fine.
- Balsamic vinegar - Adds a lovely depth of flavour.
- Herbs - We went with basil as it compliments tomatoes so well.
Step by step
One: Heat the oil to a large pan and add the onion, garlic, carrot and celery and gently cook for 4 minutes.
Two: Add the tomatoes and roasted red peppers and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Three: Add the stock, basil, salt and pepper and balsamic vinegar and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Four: Blend the soup until smooth and then sieve through a fine mesh sieve.
How to roast peppers
We used jarred roasted red peppers for this recipe, as it's one of our favourite time saving hacks. We always have some in the cupboard, because they are great for soups, sandwiches, salads and pasta dishes. However, if you want to roast peppers yourself, then here is how.
Slice the red peppers in half and put on a baking tray. Drizzle them with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast the red peppers for 25-30 minutes or until the tops are charred black.
Remove the roasted red peppers from the oven and put them in a glass bowl. Cover the bowl with cling film (plastic wrap), - this will let the peppers steam and make them easier to peel. After about 10 minutes, peel the skin off the peppers.
If you are going to roast the peppers yourself, then you could roast the tomatoes too for some added flavour.
Health benefits of peppers
Let's give some love to peppers shall we, as they are included in many of our meals, and for good reason too. They are packed full of vitamin C, and are also a good source of vitamin A, E, B1 and B2, as well as essential minerals like calcium and iron. Peppers are also fat free which is an added bonus.
They add so much flavour to soup, without adding a lot of extra calories, and they give it a nice creamy texture too when blended up.
What else can you add
So, what makes this soup so special? Apart from the intense flavour from the roasted red peppers, I also added a little balsamic vinegar to add a touch more sweetness, and because it compliments the tomatoes, but that is totally optional.
Doesn't balsamic vinegar just make everything so much better?
What to serve it with
This is such a lovely light soup, that sometimes we just serve it by itself when we have something heavier planned for dinner. But soup and bread is such a delicious combo. We like a couple of slices of buttered sourdough or tiger loaf.
But, if you want to take this lunch to the next level, then serve it with a grilled cheese sandwich. It's a seriously delicious combo.
FAQs
Once you have sieved the soup, you will be left with a thick vegetable pulp in the sieve - don't throw it! This is where all the goodness is and you can stir a couple of tablespoons back into the sieved soup to make it a little thicker.
You could also add a chopped tomato to the pan at the same time as the rest of the vegetables for some added thickness.
As for the rest of the leftover vegetable pulp, add it to pasta dishes for an added vegetable boost.
It will keep in the fridge for about 2-3 days, making it perfect for quick lunches or even a snack, or you can freeze it. But, it's so quick to make, that in just 15 minutes you can have this warming bowl of soup. Homemade bread warm from the oven is a must too.
This is a great batch cook soup to keep in the freezer when you need something warming when you get in from work.
Extra tips
- Don't throw the vegetable mixture that is left in the sieve from this roasted red pepper and tomato soup. You can add a couple of tbsp back to the pan to thicken it a little and add the rest to a pasta sauce for a vegetable boost.
- Save yourself some time and buy a jar of roasted red peppers.
- Swap the basil for either thyme, parsley or coriander for a different flavour.
- Make a thicker soup by adding a small potato at the same time as the rest of the vegetable.
- Take this roasted red pepper and tomato soup to the next level by roasting the tomatoes too.
- Adding the basil before blending can make it turn a brown colour. If you don't want this, you can add it as a garnish at the end.
- Use a stick blender to blend this soup. If you are going to use a jug blender, then let it cool before blending it. Blending hot soup can cause the jug to explode.
More soup recipes
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Recipe
Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 Medium carrot diced
- 2 Roasted red peppers
- 1 rib Celery diced
- 2 Garlic cloves crushed
- 6 Tomatoes
- 1 Medium onion diced
- 700 ml Vegetable stock
- 2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
- 1 handful Basil leaves finely chopped
- 1 pinch Sea salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Heat the oil to a large pan and add the onion, garlic, carrot and celery and gently cook for 4 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes and roasted red peppers and cook for a further 2 minutes.
- Add the stock, basil, salt and pepper and balsamic vinegar and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Blend the soup until smooth and then sieve through a fine mesh sieve.
Notes
- Don't throw the vegetable mixture that is left in the sieve. You can add a couple of tbsp back to the pan to thicken it a little and add the rest to a pasta sauce for a vegetable boost.
- Save yourself some time and buy a jar of roasted red peppers.
- Swap the basil for either thyme, parsley or coriander for a different flavour.
- Make a thicker soup by adding a small potato at the same time as the rest of the vegetable.
- Take this soup to the next level by roasting the tomatoes too.
- Weight Watchers SmartPoints: 3
