Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

Roasting vegetables intensifies flavour and brings out their natural sweetness. The charred bits will add smokiness and a homestyle flair. It’s certainly evident in this Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup! This delicious soup is super thick and hearty; and easy to prepare too!

So many times it’s been argued that soups or stews are an autumn or a cold winter’s day meal. I disagree.  I like soups or stews any time of the year.  Especially when they are as easy and as delicious as this Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup! Not only is this soup easy and delicious, it can also be served hot or cold, and you can can it too!

John.e hates hot soup.  He likes his soup to be just a tad bit hotter than lukewarm.  For a soup like this, I would highly recommend serving it really hot, or really cold.  There’s no room here for lukewarm soup! I’m the complete opposite. If I’m going to have a bowl of soup, it had better be piping hot. Like, I want to see a steady stream of steam billowing up from the bowl!

With all of the fresh ingredients in this soup, I think those are the only two ways to fully taste the flavours of this soup the way it was meant to be – super hot or really cold.

NO UPDATE NEEDED HERE!

I still can’t believe that it’s been almost five years since I first posted this recipe to my blog.  And, even though this blog post has been recently updated, the soup recipe has not changed at all. It is just as good today as it was years ago.  I love when a recipe is so good that it becomes an instant classic and never requires an update.

To tell the truth, I would eat this soup more often, and never buy prepared soups from the grocery store at all, if I lived in an area with easy access to ripe, fresh tomatoes.  (Read about how I roast red bell peppers in the summertime here.)

I live pretty much right next door to a grocery store, but we don’t often see locally grown tomatoes in this climate.  That’s why I tend to make soups like this in the dead of summer.  July and August are the best months for fresh tomatoes and I take full advantage of it!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Olive Oil – I always use extra virgin light olive oil so that the flavour is muted.  Olive oil has a high heat tolerance, so it’s perfect for sautéing.
• Roma Tomatoes – This type of tomato is meatier, meaning that the walls of the tomato are thicker and there’s less pulp on the inside.
• Red Bell Peppers – Use large, unblemished bell peppers. The flesh should be bright red and firm – that’s how you know it is really fresh.
• Garlic – Fresh garlic will result in the best flavour every single time. 
• Onions – I use yellow, white, and sweet onions interchangeably.  Either of them will do just fine.
• Vegetable Stock – If you are using store-bought, use low sodium. Some of them can be overly salty!
• Seasonings and Spices – You will need salt, ground black pepper, paprika, basil, oregano, and optional dried red chili flakes.
• Parmesan and Parsley – Optional garnish.

HOW TO MAKE ROASTED RED PEPPER AND TOMATO SOUP

Step 1: Roasting the Vegetables

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Place the whole bell peppers and quartered onions in a bowl. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper. Toss well to coat and transfer to a large baking sheet. Set aside. Place the halved tomatoes in a bowl.  Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper.  Toss well to coat and transfer to a large baking sheet.  Turn the tomatoes so that the cut side is facing down. 

Place both baking sheets in the oven on the middle rack and roast for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and turn the peppers and onions over to char the other side.  At this point, you can turn the tomatoes as well, but do so very carefully and try to keep them intact.  You can leave the tomatoes as is if you wish.  Roast for another 30 minutes, checking every 10 minutes.  You may need to remove the onions if they start to burn.

Once the veggies are roasted, transfer the red peppers and onions to a glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Set aside for 15-20 minutes until the peppers are cool to the touch.  Leave the tomatoes on the sheet pan to cool. Once cooled enough to touch, gently peel the skin away from the tomatoes and peppers and discard it.  Cut the pepper in half and scrape out the seeds using the back of your knife.  Cut away the stem and discard.

Step 2: Cooking the Soup

Now that the vegetables are roasted, it’s time to cook the soup. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a soup pot and cook the minced garlic on medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the paprika and stir into the oil. Now, add all of tomatoes, peppers, and onions.  Stir and cook those together for 2-3 minutes. (Be sure to scrape the charred bits of veggies from the baking sheets and add it to your soup pot.) Add the vegetable stock and stir to combine.

Once the soup begins to come to a boil, remove from heat and use a hand-held immersion blender, or a counter top blender, to puree the soup until smooth.  Place the pot back on the heat and add the oregano and basil. Stir well and taste to see if you need to add more salt. Over medium-low heat, bring the soup back to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes. 

The soup is now ready. You can serve it and enjoy it hot, or allow it to fully cool before portioning into food-safe, freezer-friendly containers. This soup can be frozen for 3 months. Alternatively, you can can the hot soup into mason jars for long-term shelf storage.

LOCATION IS A HUGE FACTOR IN SOURCING LOCALLY GROWN INGREDIENTS

The only downside to this soup is that it does require a lot of tomatoes, and once you’re done with the prepping and roasting, you’re not left with much.  That’s why I like to make this soup in the summer. Tomatoes and peppers are cheaper during prime harvesting season.

If you follow this recipe exactly the way I’ve written it, it will yield 8 fair servings. If your family is larger or smaller, you can adjust accordingly.  This soup recipe can easily be doubled or even tripled without changing the ratio for the ingredients. 

My advice is that you make this soup in the summertime when tomatoes and peppers are cheap and readily available. That way, you can make a huge batch of it and can it so that you can have homemade soup all winter long with fresh, locally grown ingredients! See the canning section below for a complete how-to!

GRILLED CHEESE AND TOMATO SOUP

Most people prefer tomato soup when it’s coupled with a grilled cheese sandwich. Personally, I really dislike the combination. The good news is you don’t need the sandwich. This soup is perfect on it’s own. You don’t need to load up on the carbs; they’re not needed with this Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup.  Add a few pieces of crumbled bacon if you’re not a vegetarian. Or top the soup with a few toasted croutons. 

I’ve even served this with a little sour cream nestled right in the middle.  Allow your guests to stir as much cream as they want into their soup, otherwise, you can keep this one light and low calorie.

For me, I paired the soup with a few slices of good crusty baguette and sprinkled a little parmesan cheese on top.  The dairy is certainly not needed in this recipe at all, but I like the little punch of flavour that a good, salty parmesan can give. Now, with that said, if you want a grilled cheese sandwich, go for it! McKenna and John.e love the combination even though I don’t.

ROASTING VEGETABLES IS AN ART FORM

Dear Reader, roasting vegetables is an art form.  Not in the you-can’t-do-this type of art, but artful in the way that something so simple transforms into something so beautiful.  I’m not sure if it’s just me and my love of good food or not, but I truly do get excited when I take a sheet pan out of the oven that’s loaded down with roasted vegetables. 

I love the look of them – the charred bits, the shrinkage, and the darkened colours.  Oh, and I can’t forget that gorgeous glistening from the olive oil. Truth be told, Dear Reader, the only thing bad about roasting vegetables is cleaning that damn sheet pan!  Ha!  I’ve tried different ways to get my lazy self out of cleaning the baking sheet, but none of my efforts proved to be successful.

A silicone baking mat, parchment paper, or tin foil will not work.  To really get the vegetables to roast up nicely, they need to be in contact with the metal pan.  Yes, it’s a scrubbing nightmare, but Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup is soooooo worth it!  Trust me!

CANNING SOUP FOR LONG-TERM SHELF STORAGE

Step 1: Getting the Soup into the Jars

While the soup is cooking, wash the mason jars and screw lids in soapy water and rinse soap off well under running hot water. Place clean jars on a baking sheet and place in oven preheated to 200 degrees. Set screw bands aside. Next, boil a kettle of water and pour into a clean glass bowl. Carefully submerge the sealing discs in the bowl of hot water. Set aside.

Once the soup is ready, remove the sterilized jars from the oven. Ladle the soup into prepared mason jars using a funnel to prevent the mixture from touching the rim of the jars. Leave 1 inch head space. Wipe down the rim of each jar with a damp paper towel to ensure none of the soup has come in contact with the rim.

Carefully remove the sealing discs from the hot water with a magnetic lid lifter. Position the sealing disc directly onto the lid of the jars. Do not touch the underside of the lid. Screw on the screw bands until firm – do not apply pressure! Just use your fingertips to tighten the screw bands.

Step 2: Canning

Next, prepare your pressure canner according to the instructions for your particular brand, make, or model. Using the jar lifter, place the jars into the canner and place the lid on securely. Process for 20 minutes using a 10 pound (69 kPa) weighted gauge. Be sure to adjust pressure for your altitude if over 1000 feet. Time the processing from the time the canner has reached full pressure. Once done, turn off the heat and allow canner to de-compress naturally.

Carefully remove each jar from the canner using the jar lifter. Do not tilt the jars or try to wipe them dry. Place jars onto a wire cooling rack that has been covered with a clean kitchen towel. Leave the jars to cool for a minimum of 12 hours. Once cooled, wipe the jars of any residue that might have been transferred to the outside of the jar during the boiling process. Label the jars and store in a dark, cool cabinet.

CONCLUSION

When you read the recipe below, please note that ovens do vary, so the roasting time might be a little different.  If there is one thing I have learned about making this soup over and over again, is that you can never roast vegetables too long when being used in a soup.  (Just don’t let them burn!) 

A good char on the peppers will not only help you get the skin off more easily, but will add a smoky flavour to the soup.

If you feel inclined, you can roast the tomatoes in 15 minute increments, carefully and gently turning each time.  This helps to get rid of more moisture in the tomato and helps to intensify and deepen the tomato flavour as a result.  I’ll leave that up to you, again, just don’t let them burn.  Charring is fine, burning is a crime.  Oh, my God!  Did I just say that?