Roasted Red Pepper Soup
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Sep 23, 2020 This cold-weather meal is easy on the love handles! Roasted Red Pepper Soup offers big flavor without busting your newly-made resolution.
Let me guess… You are going to be nicer to your neighbor, spend more time with your kids, take a class at your local community college, and lose 10 pounds this year. Did I get it right???
We all tend to add a healthy objective to our list of new year’s resolutions. After two months of gorging ourselves on oven-baked dishes smothered in gravy, boxes of Christmas cookies, and hefty cheese platters, it’s time for a clean sweep.
A good veggie soup is a great thing to add to your new healthy routine.
Soup can fill you up, while making your meals substantially lighter in calories, fat and carbohydrates.
This roasted red pepper soup is gluten free, dairy free, low carb, low calorie and oh so delightful.
The vibrant sweet and tangy flavor of freshly roasted red peppers, combined with roasted garlic, herbs and a kick of spice make it extremely satisfying. Plus, it’s a great leftover to take to work for lunch. You’ll have jealous co-workers eagerly peeping over your cubical when they smell your creamy roasted red pepper soup.
You may need to make a double batch!
This particular Roasted Red Pepper Soup is one of my hubby’s favorite dishes. He has asked me to make it time and time again.
It always amazes me that a steak-sandwich-kind-of-guy could crave gluten free, meat free soup the way he does.
Yet after one taste, you’ll understand the appeal of this marvelous soup!
Roasted Red Pepper Soup
Ingredients
- 3 pounds red bell peppers (8-10) halved and cleaned
- 5 cloves garlic peeled
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups chopped onion
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 cups chicken stock or vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 dash cayenne pepper
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 8 ounces smoked gouda shredded and divided
- 6-8 slices baguette
Instructions
- Cut the peppers in half and remove all seeds and membranes. Press the red peppers flat with your hand and lay them on a rimmed baking sheet. Place the garlic cloves on the baking sheet.
- Set the oven on broil and raise the rack to the upper position. Broil the red peppers and garlic for 10- 15 minutes, until thoroughly charred.
- Once the pepper skin has blackened, remove the pan from the oven. Use tongs to place the peppers in a large gallon zip bag to steam. Leave them for 10-15 minutes.
- Set a large 6-8 quart pot over medium heat. Add the oil, onions, thyme, and bay leaves. Sauté for 10 minutes, until the onions are soft.
- Add the broth, roasted garlic cloves, tomato paste, paprika, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Bring to a simmer.
- Then peel the charred skin off each pepper half and place the peppers in the pot. Discard the waxy skins.
- Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for another 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Then, using a hand-held immersion blender or standard blender, blend until smooth. *If using a blender, be sure to remove the plug on the lid and cover with a kitchen towel—this will allow the heat to vent without a big mess! Once the soup is pureed, add the heavy cream and 3 ounces of shredded gouda to the soup. Puree again and allow the cheese to melt into the soup. Taste, then add salt and pepper if needed. If the soup is too thick, add an additional 1 cup of broth or water to thin it to your desired consistency.
- Meawhile, turn the oven to 350℉. Place the baguette slices on a baking sheet. and sprinkle with 5 ounces of shredded gouda. Bake the cheese toast for 5-7 minutes, until melted and bubbly.
- Serve each cup of soup with a gouda cheese toast!
Nutrition
This is a fantastic recipe! Flavorful, spicy, delicious! Do not hesitate to make :)
Made this tonight. Added a few red pepper flakes because we like a slight spicy kick! It was delicious! Everyone loved it! Thank you!
Delicious flavor! Just the right amount of heat. Was a bit of pain peeling all those peppers, even after following instructions, but it was definitely worth it. Yum
The best bell pepper soup ever. I used the vitamix blender and it made it so nice and creamy