Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup | www.floatingkitchen.net

Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup

This post was originally published here on September 21, 2015. I’ve since updated the text and photographs. This is a great soup to make when late Summer/early Fall produce is abundant and plentiful. I hope you try it out!

In the Wintertime, my favorite tomato soup recipe is made with canned whole tomatoes and it’s finished with a cup of heavy cream. It’s extra rich and velvety. And it’s the perfect partner for a grilled cheese sandwich. I particularly enjoy making up a batch on snow days for a little post-shoveling fuel!

BUT. When I’ve got the last of the Summer tomatoes lingering on my countertop, I make this Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup instead. It’s fresh and vibrant. And you can practically taste the months of Summer sunshine that went into ripening the tomatoes!

Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup | www.floatingkitchen.net

Instead of just dumping everything into a big pot to cook, I first roast the tomatoes and red pepper in my oven to bring out more of their natural sweetness and juices. They’ll eventually make their way into the pot with the sautéed onions, garlic and seasonings. But this first step is key to developing a deeper flavor in the final soup. So don’t skip it!

The ingredient list calls for 2 pounds of plum tomatoes, but I usually end up using a mix of whatever I have that needs to get used up. The last time I made this recipe I used approximately 1 pound each of plum tomatoes and heirlooms. It’s all good!

For the smoothest version of this soup, I highly recommend using a high-powered blender. While you can certainly purée this soup using an immersion blender, a food processor with the blade attachment or a food mill with the course disk attachment, it’s hard to achieve the same results that you can get out of a blender.

If you’re like me and you’re doing whatever it takes to make the Summer season last just a little bit longer, I highly recommend giving my Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup a try. And let me know if you do!

Cheers,

Liz

Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup

Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup

At a Glance:
Yield: About 4 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes

Ingredients

For the Soup:

  • 2 lbs plum tomatoes
  • 1 large red bell pepper
  • 1/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons, extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 1/2 tsp. salt, divided
  • 1 1/2 tsp. black pepper, divided
  • 1 large onion, peeled and diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1/4 – 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes, depending on your preferred level of spice
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 2 cups vegetable stock
  • 1 bay leaf

For topping, if desired:

  • Fresh basil leaves
  • Halved cherry tomatoes
  • Olive oil

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise and place them in a 9 X 13-inch baking pan. Cut the red pepper in half, removing and discarding the stem and seeds, and add it to the baking pan. Drizzle the tomatoes and red pepper with 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Sprinkle with 1 tsp. each of the salt and pepper. Transfer the baking pan to your pre-heated oven and roast for 45 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool slightly.
  2. Meanwhile, warm the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large heavy bottom pot set over medium heat. Add the diced onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, about 6-8 minutes. Add the minced garlic, tomato paste, red pepper flakes and the remaining 1/2 tsp. each of the salt and black pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes. Add the wine and bring the liquid up to a boil, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot.
  3. Carefully add in the roasted tomatoes and red pepper, along with any accumulated juices in the baking pan, the vegetable stock and the bay leaf. Bring the soup to a boil. Then turn down the heat to maintain a simmer. Simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes.
  4. Remove the pot from the heat and set it aside to cool slightly. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Transfer the soup to your blender and blend on high until completely smooth, working in batches as necessary. You can also purée the soup using an immersion blender, a food processor with the blade attachment or a food mill with the course disk attachment.
  5. Add the puréed soup back to the pot to re-warm it before serving.
  6. To serve, ladle the warm soup into bowls. You can finish the soup with fresh herbs, tomatoes and olive oil, if desired. Enjoy immediately.
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63 comments on “Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup”

  1. Yaaaay for soup season! This gorgeous tomato soup is SERIOUSLY making me want to go whip up some grilled cheese and have tomato soup the *correct* way for lunch. 😉 Totally lovin’ all that fresh herb goodness you packed into this stunning soup!

  2. Yum, this soup is the perfect cozy meal for a chilly weeknight!

  3. Nothing better than tomato soup on a chilly fall night in my book Liz! They’ll be here before we know it! Love the herb sprinkle on top!

  4. Woke up today and it said 60°. Did a little jump for joy 🙂

  5. I loooooooove tomato soup and am so happy soup season is upon us! I could sip on this delish soup out of one of those cool mugs all the live long day. Hope you had a great weekend!

  6. I’m a soup girl even on the hottest days of summer, so I’m SO excited to see soups making a comeback right now! This looks SO comforting, and so good, and even if it was a million degrees, I’d still down it.

  7. What a perfectly timed soup for the late summer/early fall transition! Love the flavors here and love that mug! The only free ceramics I get are from my mom, who takes a pottery class. Lucky for me, she’s pretty good!
    P.S. Bourbon is totally a food group! 😉

  8. YES X 10000000000! I am so ready for soup season and this roasted tomato and red pepper soup looks amazing. Also, the pottery, stunning! And P.P.S. totes agree with Kathryn on bourbon. word.

  9. I am SO pumped that soup season is here, and more specifically that THIS soup is here! Tomato soup is a classic, and I am loving this roasted goodness! Pinned!

  10. haha, I love that you are tentatively dipping your toes into cooler weather foods! just embrace it girl! 😛 Liz, this roasted tomato and red pepper soup looks so good and exactly what I want to be eating in the fall! love! and I love that soup cup from Lafayette Avenue Ceramics, so pretty!

  11. Looks really delicious and warming!

  12. That cup looks sooo cute! Love the grooves in there for holding on to it! I feel like you read my mind with the tomato soup here. I have some HUGE cravings for it right now. I think I’m going to have action this later in the week!!

  13. I love soup season too, especially when they involve light, fresh ones like this beautiful little number! Roasted red pepper anything makes me giddy, but combined with tomatoes, fresh herbs and blitzed into soup form? Gahhh! Neeeeeeeed! Love love love! Oh, and those mugs? Tres chic!!! Pinned! Cheers, pretty!

  14. Soup season is upon us and I can’t wait. Love that you are kickstarting it with this tomato and red pepper soup.

  15. I don’t even care that it’s been 100 here for the past week, I’ve gotta try this soon!

  16. This looks heavenly!! I could so go for a delicious bowl of soup right about now.

  17. I’m definitely in the mood for soup again but not the really heavy stuff quite yet! This soup sounds perfect!

  18. I love that you combined tomatoes and peppers in this soup — I have tons of both right now and this would be perfect! It’s supposed to cool down here tomorrow which makes soup sound even more good!

  19. Love soup especially once the weather gets cooler! This lighter soup sounds perfect for this time of year! The color is just gorgeous!

  20. Love the herbs! This looks delicious- pinning!

  21. I have to agree with you! I not only loooooooooooooove to eat soup, but I also love to make soup. There’s something about the magic of the gazillion possibilities and versatility that appeals to me. It’s such a comfort food. As a matter of fact, I could live on soup if I had to and I just love what you did here with this roasted tomato soup set in those gorgeous cups!

  22. Yes to things becoming blustery and fall-esque! I can’t wait for fall to hit us full swing. This soup looks amazing (as do those lovely ceramics) 🙂

  23. I love you for continuing to celebrate summer! I’ve been dabbling in pumpkin, but I know I’m going to miss these bright flavors!

  24. Gosh, it’s still in the mid-90s here and I am DYING for fall. I am soooo ready for cool weather and soup season. There’s nothing better than homemade soup and this one sounds amazing. Especially served in those pretty little cups. 😉

  25. This is my favorite type of soup. Warm, light, but still has a heartiness to it that leaves you feeling satisfied. This morning, it was actually chilly enough for me to need a cardigan and scarf. Progress!

  26. Pingback: 10 Hearty Soups and Stews for Fall - Aftertaste by Lot18Aftertaste by Lot18

  27. Never weird, Liz! Like you, I love it year round, especially when tomatoes are at their peak! I love your update and this soup! Just gorgeous!

  28. What a fabulous soup for all those gorgeous summer veggies Liz! I enjoy soup all year long, so I’ll definitely be giving your recipe a go. I just want to grab that spoon off my screen and dig in!

  29. Anyone else craving grilled cheese?! Or is it just me? 🙂

  30. That color is ridiculously amazing!!

  31. My mouth was watering as I read this recipe. Even though it is the dead of winter, I am going down to the market to buy the ingredients and make this ASAP. In my opinion roasting the tomatoes and peppers will make a much flavorful soup. The only thing different I would do would be used the white wine to deglaze the onion garlic and tomato paste and then proceed with the recipe. I also will double the recipe and freeze what I do not have for supper. Thank you thank you thank you

  32. Thank you very much, I liked your recipe very much.

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