Roasted Red Pepper Soup
Warm, smokey, homemade red pepper soup topped with your choice of sour cream or crumbled feta, diced avocado, cucumber, bell peppers, cilantro, and/or crispy tortilla strips, Enjoy!
Servings: 6
Ingredients
SOUP:
- 7 lg. red bell peppers halved, seeded, membranes removed
- 6 cloves garlic leave in peel
- 2 T. olive oil
- 1 med. yellow onion diced
- 3 T. tomato paste
- 2 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 4 c. vegetable stock
TOPPINGS:
- dollop sour cream
- crumbled feta cheese
- diced avocado
- diced English cucumber
- diced bell peppers
- roughly chopped cilantro leaves
- corn tortilla strips (see below)
- freshly cracked black pepper for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees with racks in the upper third and lower third of the oven.
- Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with foil (use two sheets if necessary) and arrange halved pepper cut side down in a single layer. Place the unpeeled whole cloves of garlic in between peppers. Roast on the upper rack (and lower rack if you are using two baking sheets) until the peppers are charred on top, about 20-25 minutes.
- Once the peppers are charred, remove from the oven. Using tongs transfer them to a medium size bowl and cover tightly (or seal them in a plastic bag). Allow the peppers to steam for at least 10 minutes. Remove the cover and allow to cool until you can handle them. Use your fingers to peel off the charred skin and discard (you may want to use kitchen gloves for this). Peel the garlic too.
- In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottom pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and peeled whole garlic. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened about 5 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and cayenne pepper stirring constantly for one minute. Add peeled red peppers and vegetable stock. Bring the soup to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to maintain a simmer, cook for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Ladle the soup into a blender in batches. (Do not fill the blender more than halfway or the soup will go everywhere. Cover the lid with a kitchen towel so the steam doesn’t burn your hands.) Carefully, pulse the soup until smooth and transfer to another pot, continue until all the soup is blended. Alternately, you could use an immersion blender to blend the soup in the pot until creamy and smooth. Return pot to the stove to keep warm.
- To serve: Ladle soup into bowls and top with your choice of toppings and freshly ground black pepper. Enjoy!
Notes
STEP 6: You can pour the soup through a sieve if want your soup silky smooth before returning to the pot and serving, but it’s not necessary.
To make tortilla strips: Cut 3 corn tortillas into thin 2-inch-long strips. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the tortilla strips and a pinch of salt. Stir to coat the strips in oil, arranging them in a single layer. Cook until both sides are golden and crispy, about 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to cool.
Speak Your Mind