Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup

Roasted red pepper and tomato soup is an elevated twist on a classic soup recipe. Roasted red peppers combine with tomatoes, basil, garlic, onions, and chicken stock for a simple, flavorful meal, perfect with crusty bread!

Sometimes the best recipes are born by accident.

Cheesy Lentil Pasta was created because I needed dinner and didn’t have much in the pantry. 90-Minute Man Bread was born because we needed bread, we were short on time, and my husband didn’t want to follow a recipe.

Roasted red pepper tomato soup can be attributed to finding a wrinkly red pepper that was originally intended for another meal but wasn’t used. Instead of throwing it away, I put it in my family’s favorite soup.

Having an alternate purpose for things in the fridge is what I call Plan B, and I teach this concept in-depth in my course Grocery Budget Bootcamp. Enrollment is currently closed, but you can check out my FREE Fight Inflation Workshop. You’ll get access to three AMAZING video sessions focused on how to save money on food right now, despite rising grocery costs.

CLASSIC TOMATO SOUP

My Tomato Soup Recipe is super easy. Canned tomatoes, Homemade Chicken Stock, fresh or dried basil, and cream all blended up inside the pot with the oh-so-handy immersion blender until it’s ultra-smooth and delicious. One pot to clean and you’re done.

Paired with a Grilled Cheese Sandwich on Whole-Wheat Bread, it’s one of my favorite childhood staple meals, only made with real food.

This roasted tomato pepper soup recipe is super easy too, but it’s a bit more dressed up. I can make it if we’re having company over for dinner, which I’ve done a few times recently since we’ve had EIGHT different families visit us in the past 3 months alone.

I made Crusty No-Knead Artisan Bread to go with it, and dinner was all done!

ROASTED RED PEPPER AND TOMATO SOUP

Besides the fact that this pureed roasted red pepper and tomato soup is a fan favorite, you have tons of options and flexibility in this recipe, depending on what you’re looking for…

• Dairy-free – omit the cream (my preferred option!) or substitute almond milk
• Vegan – substitute vegetable stock for chicken stock, and olive oil for butter
• Gluten-free – NOTHING! This recipe is naturally gluten-free.
• Tomatoes – sub-fresh tomatoes from the garden if you have them!

INGREDIENTS FOR ROASTED TOMATO PEPPER SOUP

These delicious wholesome ingredients are all you need for savory roasted tomato red pepper soup:

• Red Bell Pepper. You can use orange or yellow peppers in a pinch, but I don’t recommend green bell peppers for this soup recipe.
• Butter. Extra virgin olive oil also works.
• Onion. For building flavor. Your picky eaters won’t notice the onion once the soup is blended!
• Garlic Cloves. I only used 1 clove here, but feel free to add more if you’re a fan!
• Italian-Style Tomatoes. Canned whole peeled tomatoes or even diced tomatoes work too.
• Homemade Chicken Broth. Try my Slow Cooker Chicken Stock or Instant Pot Chicken Broth. Vegetable broth works too.
• Dried Basil. You can also use fresh basil leaves if you have them.
• Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to taste
• Half and Half (optional). Add half and half or milk or cream if you prefer a creamier roasted red pepper and tomato soup.
• Parmesan Cheese (optional). Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top of the finished soup if you like.

Note: Some people like to use heavy cream for richness, but I prefer the half & half to make it just a little lighter.

Psst! If you’re going to add salt, I highly recommend Ava Jane’s Kitchen. You may think all salt is created equal, but unfortunately, 90% of the salt produced around the world contains microplastics (gross, right?). Ava Jane’s Kitchen is an exception. Their salt is 100% microplastic-free, and it’s SO GOOD! Plus, you can get a free 8oz. bag of sea salt (just pay shipping and handling!)

INSTRUCTIONS FOR ROASTED RED PEPPER SOUP

Step 1. First, char the red bell pepper by roasting it. You can do this by putting it in the oven, directly on the grate under the broiler; on top of the gas stove, holding it with a pair of long, stainless steel tongs; or on the grill. Let it roast for 3-5 minutes, keeping a close eye on it to make sure it doesn’t burn. Set the pepper aside.

Step 2. Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until the onions are translucent, taking care not to burn the garlic.

Step 3. Add the tomatoes and chicken stock and bring to a simmer.

Step 4. If desired, peel the outside skin off of the pepper before placing it into the pot of soup. Otherwise, pull the stem off the pepper (it should easily come off) and place the whole pepper – seeds and membranes and skin – into the pot.

Step 5. Using an immersion blender, blend everything until smooth. Alternatively, blend in batches in a blender (but be careful – it will be hot).

Step 6. Add salt and pepper to taste. If desired, finish the roasted red pepper soup with milk or cream before serving.

ROASTED PEPPERS AND TOMATOES SOUP: IS ROASTING NECESSARY?

Yes! Roasting sounds a bit fancy, but it means you’re going to char (a.k.a. burn) the pepper first – like in the picture above. Super easy and great for those who tend to burn things anyway!

You can do this in a few different ways:

• In the oven, directly on the grate under the broiler.
• On top of the gas stove, holding with a pair of long, stainless steel tongs.
• On the grill, if you’re already grilling something else that week.

Almost every roasted pepper recipe I’ve come across has you peel the charred skin off the pepper before using it. I’ve made this roasted peppers and tomatoes soup both by peeling the skin and leaving it on and the only difference was the teeny tiny flecks of black in the soup. But if someone asks (a.k.a. the picky kid or picky spouse), those flecks can be pepper… or basil… if you catch my drift.

TIME-SAVING TIPS FOR ROASTED RED PEPPER AND TOMATO SOUP

I like to make the most of my time in the kitchen. For roasted red pepper and tomato soup, that means roasting the pepper ahead of time when I’m already doing something else. This is especially helpful in summer when I’m all about NOT heating up the kitchen whenever possible but knocking out kitchen prep tasks ahead of time is useful all year round.

That means…

• Roasting the pepper in the oven when we’re already making Cast Iron Skillet Pizza on Friday nights.
• Sticking a pepper on the grill when we’re making Burgers.
• Roasting TWO peppers instead of one to make an extra batch of soup for the freezer and eliminating cooking another meal altogether.

You MUST roast the pepper but work smarter and combine it with another kitchen task. You can store roasted red peppers in the refrigerator for a day or two before making the rest of the soup.

SERVE ROASTED PEPPERS AND TOMATO SOUP WITH

I love serving roasted tomato and pepper soup with bread for dipping and pairing it with a salad for an easy, filling meal. Try one of these combos:

• Homemade French Bread and Kale Caesar Salad
• Rosemary Sea Salt Flatbread and Waldorf Dinner Salad
• Crostini and Greek Quinoa Salad
• Homemade Focaccia Bread and Roasted Vegetable Salad

RED PEPPER SOUP ROASTED FAQS

MORE EASY MEATLESS SOUP RECIPES

• Chinese Noodle Soup (aka Kung Fu Panda Soup)
• Red Lentil Vegetable Soup
• Easy Minestrone Soup
• Homemade Tortilla Soup
• Instant Pot Vegetarian Chili
• Curried Butternut Squash Soup