Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup
This roasted red pepper soup is perfect for impressing guests, celebrating small victories, or simply savoring a night in; it promises an extraordinary experience in every velvety mouthful—it's a flavor-packed experience that caters to the soul. Let each spoonful transport you to the Italian countryside, where the produce is always fresh, and the kitchen is the heart of the home. It's more than a meal; it's a celebration of textures and tastes that dance together in harmonious delight.
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 116kcal
Ingredients
- 6 red bell peppers
- 5 tomatoes canned, peeled, without juice
- 5 cups stock vegetable broth, chicken broth, or beef broth
- ½ cup mascarpone cheese
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 bunch fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher or sea salt
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
Preparation Steps
- Gather the ingredients, tools, and an immersion blender.
- Preheat the oven to 450 °F (230 °C).
- Peel and chop the onions and garlic cloves.
- Measure the ingredients.
Cooking Instructions
- Char the peppers: Place the peppers on a baking sheet and cook until charred all over (about 30 minutes). Remove from the oven and place the peppers in a metal or ceramic bowl. Cover with a lid and let stand until cool enough to handle. When cool enough, peel and deseed. Strain any bits of skin or seeds out from the juices (if necessary) and set the peeled peppers and juice aside.
- Make the soup base: In a large saucepan, heat the oil and cook the onion for 4-5 minutes, until just starting to turn translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and stock. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat, breaking up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon.
- Build flavor: Let the soup base simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the roasted peppers and their juice. Add a small bunch of basil leaves and process with an immersion blender (see note for using a blender).
- Adjust: Taste the soup and adjust the flavors accordingly with salt, pepper, and potentially some acid, like a few drops of balsamic vinegar (it adds brightness).
- Serve: Ladle the finished soup into the bowls, serve and enjoy.
Notes
Notes on Roasting Peppers: There are many different ways to roast peppers. Let's take a look:
- Buy Roasted Peppers in a Jar: The easiest way is to buy a jar of roasted peppers. If you do this, make sure it is the equivalent of at least 5 bell peppers or buy a couple jars. Add in about 1/2 cup of the liquid from one of the jars into the soup. This will save a LOT of time and effort... but I always believe that if I have time, making it at home is the best.
- Over a Flame: If you don't want to roast the peppers in the oven as described in the recipe card, you can char them over an open flame like a burner on your stove (if you have a gas stove). Using insulated tongs, set the pepper on the burner and let it get charred. Rotate until it is fully blackened and then place in a bowl as described above to remove the skins.
- Removing the skins: So many recipes say to put the hot peppers into either a plastic bag or a bowl lined with plastic wrap. I'm not a fan of this at all. Just use a bowl with a lid or a pot with a lid. No need to add more chemicals to our already chemical laden lives.
- Remove the stems and seeds: I find that removing the stems and seeds AFTER they have been roasted lets the seeds stick to my hands everywhere and turns the process more difficult than it needs to be. If you want, remove the stems and seeds before roasting to save a lot of time and frustration later.
- Ice Bath: I've seen many chefs over the years plunge the roasted pepper directly into an icebath to loosen the skins rapidly, and to allow the pepper to be worked with immediately rather than waiting for it to cool. If you want to save some time, remove the stems and seeds first, roast the pepper and then plunge into an icebath. Yeah, time saving tips!
- Balsamic Vinegar: just a couple drops will go a very long way! Add three or four drops, stir and taste again before adding more!
- Lemon Juice: this can add a citrusy brightness without overwhelming the soup too. Lemon zest would work as well.
- Tomato Paste: it's not as acidic as balsamic or lemon juice, but it can add both depth and a big of tang to the soup.
- Sour Cream: this will add more creaminess to the soup and offers a gentle acidity that complements the mascarpone.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 116kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 599mg | Potassium: 315mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 3158IU | Vitamin C: 101mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1mg
