roasted red pepper and tomato soup

OK, I admit, I am on a soup kick lately.  I love that I can make soup ahead of time and then re-heat it later for dinner or for lunch throughout the week.  Soup is just so uncomplicated, pure and so darn easy to make.  Once you make a homemade soup, you will never go back to the canned variety.  I guarantee it.

I have been trying to eat seasonally and take advantage of all these amazing vegetables that are available right now.  While I was at the market the other day, I noticed these beautiful, enormous, organic red bell peppers.   We love red bell peppers raw, but have never tried them in a soup, so I was ready to experiment.  I’m so glad that I did because this soup was amazing.  It’s silky in texture and tastes honestly like roasted red peppers, hence the name.

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup:

recipe from Dinner with Julie

• 4 red bell peppers, cut in half lengthwise with seeds and membranes scooped out 
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme - if using fresh thyme, make sure it’s chopped
• 1 14oz. can diced or whole tomatoes, undrained – I used diced tomatoes
• 1 liter (4 1/4 cups) vegetable stock or chicken stock- I used vegetable stock
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup sour cream (optional) - I added a little less than 1/2 cup here 
• salt and pepper to taste 

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.  Cut the red peppers in half lengthwise.Cut out all the seeds and membranes.  I use a melon baller to scoop out the seeds.Place the peppers cut side down on a rimmed baking sheet that has been lined with foil. Roast the peppers in the pre-heated 450 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes; until they are blackened and blistered, rotating the sheet if necessary for them to cook evenly.  Below is what mine looked like after about 25 minutes.Remove the peppers from the pan and place in a bowl, cover the bowl with the foil or a plate and let cool. When the peppers are cool enough to handle, peel off the skins and discard them, dropping the peppers back into the bowl.  In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and sauté the onion for 5 minutes, or until soft.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Add in the chopped thyme, tomatoes with their juice, and chicken or vegetable stock and bring to a simmer.Add the red peppers along with any juices that have accumulated in the bowl. Turn down the heat to medium-low and cook uncovered for about 20 minutes.  Make sure to stir the soup every so often.After the soup has cooked for 20 minutes, add in the sour cream and some salt and pepper to taste. The soup is going to look a bit curdled here until you puree it. Puree with either a hand-held immersion blender or transfer soup to a blender and pulse until smooth.  

If you’re using a blender to puree the soup, make sure to wipe out the pot before adding back the soup.  Turn the heat to low and heat the soup through.  Give the soup a taste and adjust the seasoning if needed, serve warm. Serve the soup up with a popover or some yummy bread.  We like to pair our soup with some warm nann bread.  We dip it in the soup, and let me tell you there is nothing better.