Proof that comfort food can also be healthy, this warm and delicious Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup requires simple ingredients and tastes a million times better than anything from a can.
It seems that the entire world is sick with something at the moment. My family is no exception. It’s hard to eat healthy when you feel like crap, your kid feels like crap, and, worst of all, your husband feels like crap. I totally get it.
What is easy is convenience- fast food, delivery, canned soups, and all those other food options we are all avoiding since the holidays, literally, just ended. While I am in no way against any of these convenient dinner options, I also try to think of ways to avoid them whenever possible.
Soup.
Soup is one of those foods that is surprisingly simple to make. Ok, maybe not all soups, but most soup. And if I’m making it, then it’s probably pretty easy.
Tomato soup is one of those traditional, feel-good, must-have sick foods. My dad always made me tomato soup with a grilled cheese when I was sick. I loved it. I loved the comfort of the whole thing.
But the soup…
You guys, the soup was not healthy. It may have been low fat or fat-free, but the sodium. OH MY! The sodium! And the sugar. For example, In one particular soup brand, the brand I was raised eating when I was sick, contains 480mg (20%) of sodium and 12grams (3 tsp) of sugar per HALF CUP. You guys, a half cup of soup isn’t very much. Especially if you plan to eat an entire bowl. The only time I can defend eating soup with so much sodium and sugar is if a person has the stomach flu and can only eat a few spoonfuls of something at a time. Ok, end rant.
So what’s my point? If you can, homemade is always best. You control the salt, sugar, and all the other stuff that will go into what you’ll be eating.
So you’re thinking, “homemade may be best, but this looks like a lot of work…“, let me say a few things.
- For this recipe, you do not have to roast the vegetables. That step is optional. In fact, you do not even need to use fresh vegetables. Swap out the three bell peppers for 2 jars of drained roasted peppers and 2-3 cans of tomatoes. Canned tomatoes are not packed full of additional salt and are super fresh.
- Basically, all this recipe requires is roughly chopping a few vegetables, tossing them in a pot, boiling, blending, tasting and serving.
- I did not add sugar to this soup. Yes, sometimes sugar is added to offset the acidity of things like tomatoes, but if I wanted to be like the canned stuff I would have added at least 1/4-1/2 cup of sugar. Gross.
- You can make a huge batch and eat it for days.
Finally, you’re wondering if my child ate this soup…No, no he did not. He wouldn’t even try it. In my defense, however, Octavian refuses any and ALL soup, so I no longer take it personally.
If you love roasted red pepper and tomato soup, you may also enjoy these recipes-
Greek Lemon and Chicken Soup with Couscous and Artichokes
Sausage and Vegetable Soup with Easy Basil Pesto
Ginger Garlic Soup with Bok Choy
Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup
Ingredients
- 3 red bell peppers
- 2 tbsp olive oil - divided
- 8-12 Roma tomatoes
- 1 yellow or white onion - diced
- 3 carrots - chopped
- 6 cloves garlic - minced
- 4 oz tomato paste
- 1 tsp dried dill
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 4-6 cups veggie broth - (or broth of choice)
- salt + pepper - to taste
- Coconut milk or cream - for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to broil and line a baking sheet with foil. Roast bell peppers for 10-15 minutes, rotating every 5 minutes to ensure even cooking on each side. Remove from oven when peppers are charred and tender on each side. Carefully (the peppers will be hot) wrap the peppers in foil and allow them to steam for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the tomatoes- set oven temperature to 400 degrees f and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice the tomatoes in half lengthwise and lay them in a single layer cut-side-up. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast the tomatoes for 30-40 minutes, or until soft and cooked.
- As the tomatoes are roasting heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and the onion to the pot and stir well. Cook the onion for approximately 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the carrots and garlic to the pot and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook for an additional 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the tomato paste, dried dill, and dried basil to the vegetables and mix well to combine. Add the chicken or vegetable broth to the pot and mix well. Bring to a low boil, reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer until carrots are tender- approximately 10 minutes.
- As the soup simmers, unwrap the bell peppers, remove the charred outer skin and the stem. Roughly chop and add to the pot.
- When the tomatoes have finished roasting, remove from the oven and add to the pot.
- Remove soup from heat and use an immersion blender or high-speed blender to puree soup. Return to a simmer and season to taste. If the soup is too thick, add additional broth as needed.
- Drizzle with cream or coconut milk at serving, if desired.
Nutrition
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
Just got done eating this soup – it was amazing on a cold winter night!