roasted red pepper and tomato soup.
INGREDIENTS
2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded
2 cups cherry tomatoes
1 yellow onion, peeled and quartered
4 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
1/4 cup slivered almonds optional
1 cup fresh basil
4 cups chicken broth, vegetable broth, or water
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
RECIPE
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Add bell pepper pieces, tomatoes, onion, and garlic to a parchment-lined sheet tray.
Drizzle with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Toss well to coat.
Roast for 20 minutes, or until tomatoes are burst, peppers are soft, and onion and garlic are beginning to caramelize.
In the meantime, toast the almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat until lightly browned. Remove from the heat to avoid burning.
Add the peppers, tomatoes, onion, garlic, almonds, basil, and 2 cups broth to a blender.
Blend until completely smooth.
Transfer to a pot, then place over medium heat. Add the remaining broth.
Bring to a simmer and add cream. Allow to thicken, about 10 minutes.
Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
I’m going to say it, tomato soup is one of those soups I don’t think much about unless it’s accompanying a grilled cheese. I have nothing against the soup itself, I just don’t find the blended tomato mixture very exciting on a spoon alone. Unlike bisque, which has the benefit of buttery chunks of lobster or shrimp, tomato soup is basically just a warm sauce (or a savory smoothie — think about it).
That’s not to say I never want tomato soup, and I think a really good one can enhance the experience of eating a grilled cheese sandwich. A great tomato soup should add a rich, creamy flavor to your grilled cheese, then be good enough to finish once your sandwich is gone.
This soup does that perfectly. It uses bright roasted cherry tomatoes, garlic, onion, and red peppers and combines them with basil, cream, and — the secret ingredient — almonds.
The almonds are totally optional, but if you like a nutty, earthy element (like pesto), then I’d recommend the addition.
It’s easy, creamy, rich, and nutty, with just a hint of spice and a bright flavor from the fresh cherry tomato and peppers. The perfect way to use up the last of your garden’s summer bounty, this soup will bring you gently into fall in the best way.
Largely, you can use any variety of tomato for this recipe. Use the equivalent to the amount of cherry tomatoes — for example, 2 cups of cherry tomatoes would be 6-8 Roma tomatoes or 5-6 tomatoes-on-the-vine. Different tomatoes will have different flavors and, most importantly, different water contents. For this reason I’d suggest you avoid heirloom and beefsteak tomatoes entirely, which have a high water content and less concentrated flavor. Cherry tomatoes are a bit sweeter, while Roma and vine tomatoes may be a little more savory. As a shortcut, you can use fire-roasted tomatoes from the can, but this will obviously not taste as fresh.
To make this nut free, simply omit the nuts. You can also swap the almonds for pine nuts, if desired. The easiest way to make this dairy free is to use vegan heavy whipping cream. Trader Joe’s sells a version that is suspiciously good — I’ve used it in all of my favorite dishes and it cooks the same way a regular cream would. You can also omit the cream entirely, and the soup will reduce enough to be good anyways. It starts pretty thick right out of the blender, and the cream simply makes it silky and a little bit more rich. Then, of course, omit the Parmesan.
Enjoy.
Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 45 minutes
Feel free to load all the veggies on one sheet tray, being mindful not to overlap.
Toasting nuts is my kryptonite: I always burn the nuts. To avoid this, keep the heat relatively low and shake the skillet often. Pull the nuts off of the heat when they just begin to brown.
If you don't have a large enough blender, simply blend in batches (and consider investing in a good blender, it's worth it).
How the soup should look before adding cream or cheese: fairly thick and still bubbly from the blender.
The soup should thicken into a bisque consistency, coating the back of a spoon.