Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Creamy tomato and roasted red pepper soup made with roasted fresh tomatoes and red peppers is a silky comfort food soup at its simple best.

If you’ve ever shopped at a Trader Joe’s, it’s likely you’ve spied their tomato and roasted red pepper soup after being served a sample in a little paper cup. One sip is all that was needed to sway me into buying a box. But now that I’ve dialed in the recipe, I just make it at home instead.

Right next to my tomato basil soup, this tomato and roasted red pepper soup flies high at the top of my daughter’s favorite soups list. What makes this soup special is not only the deep tomato flavor at the forefront, but the roasted red peppers that double down on tomato’s inherent sweetness.

What I really love about this soup is you can totally meal prep it by making the roasted tomatoes and peppers ahead of time then stashing them in the fridge or freezer. Later, just add milk and herbs, and boom! Soup is served! Creamy, smooth, and mild, this soup is everything you want in a bowl of slurpable comfort food.

What’s In Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup

• Roasted red peppers (roasted at home or a good-quality store brand)
• Fresh roasted tomatoes with garlic
• Yellow onion
• Butter
• Whole milk
• Kosher salt
• Fresh rosemary or basil
• A drizzle of thinned sour cream or sprinkles of Parmesan cheese

How to Make Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Roast the tomatoes and red bell peppers. Because I make stashes of blended roasted tomatoes and freeze them to use in soups, stews, and pasta all winter long, I usually do these two roasting tasks separately.

The homemade tomato sauce truly makes a difference. You’ll need 2 cups of tomato sauce for this recipe, so about 2 pounds of cocktail or medium-sized tomatoes, 1 head of garlic, and fresh herbs. Drizzle with olive oil and roast at 400°F for 40-45 minutes. Blitz in a blender with a few of the roasted garlic cloves and season with kosher salt and black pepper.

To roast the red bell peppers, simply place them on a foil-lined baking sheet (for the minimum mess) and bake at 425°F for 30-40 minutes. Rest, then pull the skin from the membrane and discard the stems and seeds.

Deepen the Sauce

Simmer the roasted tomato sauce with onion and butter. Like in this quick tomato sauce, I add more flavor to my roasted sauce by adding 1/2 onion and a few tablespoons of butter to simmer and steep into the tomato sauce. You could skip this step, but I like the luxe finish the butter lends and the subtle infused onion flavor. Discard the onion or add it to the blender with the other veg in the next step.

Blend It Up!

Blend the roasted red peppers with tomato sauce. Blitz the tomato sauce with the roasted red peppers until smooth. Use a blender, food processor, or immersion blender. If you’re feeling it, a few glugs of olive oil never hurt either.

Make It Creamy

Add whole milk for that silky creamy flavor. Whole milk dilutes the intensity and thickness of the blended tomato and red peppers. Whole milk has just enough fat to keep the soup from thinning out too much but isn’t as rich or cloying as cream or half-and-half.

Cook Until Warmed Through

Warm the soup now or save it for later. At this point all of the ingredients are cooked, so all that’s left is heating this baby up. Serve as is or save and refrigerate for up to 1 week.

Can You Freeze This Soup?

Yes, this tomato and red pepper soup can be frozen in an air-tight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months.

How to Serve

Mix a little water or milk into a dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche in a small bowl then drizzle over the soup. Sprinkle with fresh rosemary or basil and a few pinches of freshly ground black pepper. A grilled cheese dipper fits right into this soupable story.

Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup

Creamy tomato and roasted red pepper soup made with roasted fresh tomatoes and red peppers is comfort food at its simple best.

CourseSoup

CuisineAmerican

Keywordroasted red pepper soup

Prep Time15 minutes

Cook Time1 hour

Total Time1 hour 15 minutes

Servings5 cups

Calories123kcal

Ingredients

• 2pounds medium cocktail tomatoes , or 2 cups roasted tomato sauce
• 1head of garlic , cut in half
• extra virgin olive oil
• fresh basil, rosemary, or thyme sprigs
• 3large red bell peppers , or 2 cups roasted red bell peppers
• 1/2yellow onion
• 2tablespoons butter
• 2cups whole milk
• 1/2teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• sour cream thinned with water
• a few sprigs of fresh herbs like basil or rosemary

Instructions

1. You’ll need 2 cups of roasted tomato saucefor this recipe. Preheat the oven to 400°F and place the tomatoes in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. Nestle the two halves of garlic and the fresh herbs in with the tomatoes, drizzle with olive oil, season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Transfer the tomatoes and a few of the roasted garlic cloves (squeeze them from the papery shells) to a blender and blitz until smooth. Pour the tomato sauce into a large sauce pot. Add the half onion and butter, bring to medium heat, and cook for 20 minutes or so while the peppers are roasting.
2. If using red peppers that are already roasted, skip this step. If not, raise the oven temperature to 425°F. Line the baking sheet with fresh foil and place the peppers on the sheet. Bake the peppers for 30 minutes or until puffed and blistered. Set aside until cool enough to handle then peel the papery skin from the pepper and discard along with the stems, seeds, and membrane.
3. Add the roasted tomato sauce (and a few peels of the onion if you’d like) to the blender canister along with the roasted red pepper. Cover the canister with the lid but be sure to remove the top center plug since the soup is hot and you don’t want it to explode when you blend. Cover the lid with a dishtowel and blitz until smooth. Add the tomato and pepper mixture back to the pot and stir in the milk. Heat until warmed through and season with more salt and pepper to taste. If you like your soup thinner, add more milk. If you like it thicker, cook longer to reduce. Serve with a drizzle of thinned sour cream and a few fresh herb sprigs if desired. A grilled cheese sandwich or garlic bread makes a perfect side for dipping.

Nutrition

Calories: 123kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 290mg | Potassium: 731mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 3916IU | Vitamin C: 117mg | Calcium: 138mg | Iron: 1mg