Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches are a dynamic duo and the perfect twosome to invite to every occasion. They turn heads and get conversations started at weeknight dinners, Saturday afternoon parties or Sunday sports day on the couch. This year I paired creamy herb roasted red pepper and tomato soup with sharp cheddar cheese grilled between two hearty slices of seeded rye to serve at our Oscar Awards party. Let me tell you; everyone kept sneaking back to the kitchen to fill up their bowls. Commercial breaks are good for something after all!
When making this soup, pay special attention to the vegetables that are the base for your vegetable broth. (Or make your own) Knowing what veggies are in there will help you decide what seasonings to sprinkle over your peppers before roasting so that you really bring out the flavor of the tomatoes and peppers in your soup.
Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup
Equipment
- Immersion blender or countertop blender
Ingredients
- 2 red or yellow peppers
- 1 medium brown onion, chopped
- 4 large garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- ½ cup carrot, chopped
- ½ cup celery, chopped
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- ¼ cup medium grain white rice
- 2 Tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1 28 ounce canned chopped tomatoes
- 4 leaves fresh basil
- 1½ quarts vegetable stock
- ⅛ tsp cardamom
- pinch dried oregano
- pinch dried thyme
- salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400°
- Slice each pepper into 4 large quarters and lay into a baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with dried oregano and thyme. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Peel garlic cloves and smash lightly. Set into the baking dish with the peppers. Drizzle with olive oil.
- Roast peppers and garlic in the oven for 25 minutes.
- While peppers and garlic are roasting, saute chopped onions in a large skillet with 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat.
- Cook stirring often until onions are translucent. About 3 minutes. Add chopped carrots and celery. Cook about 5 more minutes.
- Add the tomatoes with the juice, tomato paste, basil, cardamom and a generous dash of salt.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes until tomatoes have cooked down a bit.
- Add the roasted peppers and garlic, vegetable stock, rice, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with freshly ground pepper, taste and adjust salt.
- Pour soup into blender cup in batches and purée. Be careful with hot soup in the blender. DO NOT FILL TOO FULL and leave cover lid loose for steam to escape. Cover with tea towel to keep from splattering. Return pureed soup to pot in batches and heat on medium low for several minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. Top with Parmesan cheese, croutons, dollop of yogurt and/or chopped basil.