Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup

Creamy and comforting, this recipe for Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup is a delightful weeknight dinner. I started out by roasting 3 red bell peppers until very tender and slightly charred. Next, I roasted a baking sheet full of ripe mixed tomatoes until soft, juicy and bursting with flavor. Since I was in the spirit of roasting, I added 2 whole bulbs of garlic, that I roasted alongside the peppers in the oven. Once roasted, the garlic was caramelized to perfection. The combination of these flavorful vegetables with aromatic herbes de Provence, a hit of cayenne and paprika, and a side of toasted crusty bread smeared with freshly roasted garlic was nothing short of a winner. Enjoy!

Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup

Ingredients
3 red bell peppers
2 whole bulbs of garlic (skin left on)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 medium carrots, finely chopped
3 teaspoons Herbes de Provence (a fragrant southern Mediterranean mix of thyme, rosemary, marjoram and lavender)
1 teaspoon paprika
Cayenne pepper, pinch (to taste)
5-6 tomatoes (I used a combination of 5 medium/large tomatoes plus 1 cup of cherry tomatoes)
4 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup half-and-half (or fat-free half-and-half / creamer, depending on how healthy you want to go!)

Crusty bread and plain Greek yogurt, for serving

Directions
First, roast peppers and garlic. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place whole peppers on baking sheet lined with tin foil. Lightly drizzle olive oil over peppers. Next, prep garlic bulbs. Peel away the outer layers of the garlic bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual cloves intact. Using a sharp knife, trim the stem end of the bulb by 1/4 – 1/2″. Rub the cut side of the garlic with olive oil. Cover each bulb with aluminum foil. Add foil-covered bulbs to baking sheet with the peppers. Roast peppers and garlic together for 35-45 minutes or until peppers are starting to char and garlic is softened.

Once out of the oven, set aside garlic bulbs to let cool. Place hot peppers into a large plastic bag and seal. Let rest for 15 minutes, then remove peel, seeds and stem (it will come right off!). Chop peppers. Reserve.

Unwrap garlic from aluminum foil. When the garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze the roasted garlic out from the skins. Reserve.

Next, roast tomatoes. Cut tomatoes in half or quarters (depending on how large they are) add add to a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. If using cherry tomatoes, simply add them to the sheet without cutting. Drizzle tomatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 30-40 minutes or until tomatoes start to “burst.”

In a large soup pot, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon chopped garlic, stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chopped onion and carrot. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes.

Add herbes de Provence, paprika and a pinch of cayenne, cook, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chopped roasted peppers. Add all but 1 tablespoon of “squeezed” roasting garlic.

Add stock and tomatoes. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 25 minutes. Stir in salt and pepper to taste. Purée using an immersion blender or in small batches using a regular blender. Add half-and-half (or fat free half-and-half). Briefly reheat, then serve with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt, if desired. This soup is wonderful with a side of crusty bread – use the reserved 1 tablespoon of roasted garlic to smear on bread just before serving.

Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup

Author:

Janelle

Recipe type: Appetizer

Cuisine: Italian

Serves: 4

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 2 hours

Total time: 2 hours 30 mins

A recipe for velvety roasted red pepper and tomato soup with roasted garlic.

Ingredients

3 red bell peppers
2 whole bulbs of garlic (skin left on)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 medium carrots, finely chopped
3 teaspoons Herbes de Provence (a fragrant southern Mediterranean mix of thyme, rosemary, marjoram and lavender)
1 teaspoon paprika
Cayenne pepper, pinch (to taste)
5-6 tomatoes (I used a combination of 5 medium/large tomatoes plus 1 cup of cherry tomatoes)
4 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
½ cup half-and-half (or fat-free half-and-half / creamer, depending on how healthy you want to go!)

Instructions

First, roast peppers and garlic. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place whole peppers on baking sheet lined with tin foil. Lightly drizzle olive oil over peppers. Next, prep garlic bulbs. Peel away the outer layers of the garlic bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual cloves intact. Using a sharp knife, trim the stem end of the bulb by ¼ – ½″. Rub the cut side of the garlic with olive oil. Cover each bulb with aluminum foil. Add foil-covered bulbs to baking sheet with the peppers. Roast peppers and garlic together for 35-45 minutes or until peppers are starting to char and garlic is softened.
Once out of the oven, set aside garlic bulbs to let cool. Place hot peppers into a large plastic bag and seal. Let rest for 15 minutes, then remove peel, seeds and stem (it will come right off!). Chop peppers. Reserve.
Unwrap garlic from aluminum foil. When the garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze the roasted garlic out from the skins. Reserve.
Next, roast tomatoes. Cut tomatoes in half or quarters (depending on how large they are) add add to a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. If using cherry tomatoes, simply add them to the sheet without cutting. Drizzle tomatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 30-40 minutes or until tomatoes start to “burst.”
In a large soup pot, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon chopped garlic, stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chopped onion and carrot. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
Add herbes de Provence, paprika and a pinch of cayenne, cook, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chopped roasted peppers. Add all but 1 tablespoon of “squeezed” roasting garlic.
Add stock and tomatoes. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 25 minutes. Stir in salt and pepper to taste. Purée using an immersion blender or in small batches using a regular blender. Add half-and-half (or fat free half-and-half). Briefly reheat, then serve with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt, if desired. This soup is wonderful with a side of crusty bread – use the reserved 1 tablespoon of roasted garlic to smear on bread just before serving.

Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup