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This Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup comes together quickly, is bursting with fabulous flavor and is loaded with lots of healthy veggies!
The inspiration for this Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup came from a charming café/gourmet market in Black Mountain, NC. We've been delighted to discover that Black Mountain, an adorable little mountain tow not far from us, has quite a few great restaurants.
Actually, Scott and I have had a wonderful time exploring a plethora of wonderful restaurants that are in close proximity to our new home in the mountains of North Carolina, near Asheville. The Asheville area is well-known for its amazing restaurants. In fact, Food and Wine Magazine published an article last November about the restaurant scene in Asheville and referred to it as the Paris of the South. Do you think the good Lord plunked these two foodies down in a perfect place?
I'm not usually a soup lover in the warm summer months, however, the temperatures here in the mountains are much cooler than in Raleigh. Soup sounded good one day last week when Scott and I stopped for lunch after running some errands. Roasted Red Pepper Soup is the restaurant's "signature soup" and I couldn't resist it.
With the first taste, I decided it was better than good. Way better! I savored each spoonful and, at the same time, deconstructing the soup in my mind in order to recreate it.
You'll never believe what I served Scott for lunch the next day. And the following day. And a few more times till I got it just right. It's perfect now and ready for you!
A few easy shortcuts...
I always like having a few shortcuts up my sleeve that will save time but won't sacrifice flavor. I employed a few of these tricks with this Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup.
First of all, I used roasted red peppers from a jar. It's not a big deal to roast peppers in the oven but it does take 25-30 minutes for roasting, another 20-30 minutes for steaming and then more time to peel. That's close to an hour, just to roast and prepare the peppers. Roasting the peppers from scratch may add a little extra flavor but honestly, I don't usually have that extra hour to spare. So I'm just fine with someone else doing the work for me.
The second shortcut I used in my Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup is a heaping spoonful of prepared pesto. Pesto is a great condiment to have on hand because it's full of delicious flavor and it takes the place of 4 other ingredients; basil, garlic, olive oil and parmesan cheese. Store a jar of pesto in the freezer and you'll always have this magical ingredient on hand. When you want to use it, let it thaw slightly, scoop out as much as you want, then pop the jar back in the freezer.
A few fun ideas...
This soup is delicious on its own (that's how the restaurant served it) but I like to add some thinly sliced fresh mozzarella while the soup is piping hot and allow it to melt before serving. A sprinkle of chopped rosemary or basil takes a fabulous soup to the extraordinary realm.
See the delicious bread I'm serving with this Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup? That's my Ridiculously Easy Focaccia Bread. I like to cut it into long slices, brush it with olive oil and crisp it up in a pan over medium heat. It's wonderful with soups like this one as well as salads (and ridiculously easy to make!).
Café Tips for making this Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup
- Most grocery stores carry roasted red peppers in jars. Look in the area of the canned vegetables. If you don't find them there, sometimes they're located in the pickles/olives section.
- This recipe calls for fire-roasted tomatoes. Fire-roasted tomatoes have a delicious depth of flavor. Most larger grocery stores carry fire-roasted diced tomatoes right next to the regular diced tomatoes. If you can't find them, no worries, just use regular diced tomatoes.
- This soup also calls for smoked paprika, which adds a hint of unique, delicious flavor. You can find smoked paprika in the spice section at larger grocery stores and online. Look for a mild smoked paprika as some can be quite spicy.
- We like this Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup with a little texture but if you prefer a super smooth soup, just puree it a little longer.
- If you use fresh mozzarella to top/garnish this Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup, be sure the soup is nice and hot before adding the cheese. Allow the soup to sit for about 5 minutes before serving so the cheese can melt.
- Sometimes I reserve a small piece of roasted red pepper to use as a garnish. I diced the pepper finely and sprinkle it on top of the fresh mozzarella with some fresh rosemary, for a pretty presentation.
- When purchasing pesto, look for a jar with a fresh green color. I really like the pesto from Sam's club and Costco. It's very reasonably priced and will stay fresh for a long time in the freezer. When I want to use it, I just let it thaw slightly, scoop out as much as I need and then pop it back in the freezer.
- Do you have an immersion blender? If you love making soup, one of these inexpensive appliances is indispensable! They're easy to clean and you don't have to transfer your soup to another container, as with a regular blender. This one also functions as a mini chopper and is great for making sauces, smoothies, etc.
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion roughly chopped
- 8 ounces carrots 5-6 medium-size carrots, roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons pesto
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 14.5- ounce cans fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 12- ounce jar jarred roasted red bell peppers well drained
- 1 4- inch sprig fresh rosemary
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- For the topping:
- thin slices of fresh mozzarella for topping for topping
- fresh rosemary or basil for topping
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Heat the oil over medium heat in a large Dutch oven or soup pot. Add the onion and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 8 minutes.
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Stir in the pesto and cook for another 30 seconds, until fragrant.
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Add the broth, fire-roasted tomatoes, roasted red peppers, rosemary sprig, smoked paprika, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high then cover reduce heat to maintain a slow steady simmer. Simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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Using an immersion blender or a regular blender, puree the soup, leaving it a bit chunky. If you use a regular blender, allow the soup to cool a bit before blending, then puree in two batches. When blending, remove the cover of the opening at the top of the blender. Insert a small mouth funnel to release the steam while blending or cover the opening with several thicknesses of paper toweling.
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Return soup to the pot and simmer for another 10 minutes. Taste and add salt and fresh ground pepper, as desired. Serve in bowls and top with fresh mozzarella and chopped fresh basil or rosemary for garnish, if desired.
See Café Tips above for additional tips, instructions and ideas for serving.
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Sandy Munshower says
Is there a way to pin your recipes to Pinterest or am I missing it?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Sandy! Hope you're doing well!
At the top of every post, there's a Pinterest button. Just click on that and you can pin it to any board you'd like.
Nancy says
Yesterday was 103°, humid, and the last day of monsoon season here in Arizona AND we made and enjoyed eating your delicious Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup! Served with deli turkey, bacon, havariti cheese, and spinach on ciabatta.... the sandwich was nice but the soup, especially with the basil pesto....PERFECT!
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome! Thanks for letting us know, Nancy!
Cookies4kids says
Loved this soup. So many recipes call for roasted red peppers. Could you use the yellow or orange peppers also, or is there a distinct flavor to the roasted red peppers? Thanks for all the great recipes.
Chris Scheuer says
You could definitely use roast yellow or orange peppers without a lot of flavor difference. I use roasted red peppers becasue they're easily available.
Nina says
Delicious recipe! I didn't have pesto and it still came out very well.
Chris Scheuer says
Yay! Thanks for sharing your results, Nina!
Toni says
Hi Chris and Scott!!! Just wanted to thank you both, ever so much, for this fabulous recipe! We love soups, especially in the cold weather, and peppers, so this was a marvelous marriage of the two! As our weather temperature has really dropped, we waited all afternoon for this bowl of perfection, and we claimed it a keeper! Thank you both so much for all your recipes, but for this one in particular.
Chris Scheuer says
You're welcome, Toni! I'm super happy you enjoyed it. We love that soup too!
Suzi says
This soup has a wonderful rich flavor & it is so easy to make. Hubby & I enjoyed it with dinner on a chilly day!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Suzi. So happy you enjoyed this soup. We love it too!
Angela Johnson says
Just made this in advance of a cold, rainy day tomorrow and to use my immersion blender for the first time. It’s delish! I didn’t have fresh mozzarella on hand so I dropped in a couple of dollops of goat cheese. Yum! Thanks for sharing.
Chris Scheuer says
Yum, goat cheese sounds delicious, Angela! Thanks for letting us know!
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
The weather in Florida hasn't cooled off but I don't know if I can wait very long to try your soup recipe. It sounds perfect.
Beth says
Shall I drain the roasted red peppers before adding them?
Chris Scheuer says
Good question, Beth. Yes, do drain the peppers. I will add that to the instructions.
Karen NoCa says
I hope you are going to be safe Chris, with the awful storm coming your way. I saw on another post something about Ashville being in danger. Take care.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much, Karen! We fared just fine. I appreciate your concern.
Barb says
Looking forward to trying this!Been buying Trader Joe's roasted red pepper & tomato soup for years but would much rather make my own. I assume this would freeze well? Btw, I freeze Costco pesto in ice cube trays for the T or so needed in a recipe. Works great !
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks for the tips Barb, hope you enjoy it! It does freeze well.
Mo says
I love your recipes! I always get raves whenever I make them. I want to try the red pepper soup, but hate rosemary. What spice would you suggest in it's place? Thank you.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Mo, thanks so much. Basil would be wonderful in this soup!
Sandra L Garth says
Tomato soup is my absolute favorite any time of the year. Thanks for the tip on using jarred roasted peppers. A little shortcut every now and then never hurts. I love the mozzarella on time and I look forward to trying this.
Susan says
I think it's so much fun to recreate special recipes that we've enjoyed in restaurants to make at home! Your soup turned out so lovely and that mozzarella topping, oh my! And even better with your focaccia bread on the side! How nice to have such amazing restaurants within your new area. "Paris of the South" sounds pretty impressive!
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says
What a delicious combination Chris! Perfect for the beautiful end of summer veggies! And for the fall season ahead!
Tricia @ Saving Room for Dessert says
I cannot wait to give this soup a try Chris. So perfect for this time of year and it sounds easy too. Pinning!
angiesrecipes says
This looks seriously yummy with that cheese topping and your homemade focaccia bread!
sue | the view from great island says
The color alone makes me want to race to the kitchen and make this Chris, it looks fabulous! I hope you're settling in to your new digs, I can't wait to see what else you create in your new kitchen.
Liz says
We used to order this soup at a now defunct restaurant all the time. I got to know the owner and he shared his recipe---but it never came out as tasty as what we remembered. I'm going to have to try your recipe---it sounds wonderful!