A cozy bowl of soup is satisfying just about anytime, and when that bowl of soup is easy to make, full of flavor, and healthy to boot, it becomes a go-to weeknight meal! This creamy roasted red pepper soup recipe hits all those marks!
Why We Think You’ll Love This Roasted Red Pepper Soup!
- So Much Flavor. By roasting the peppers, their sweet flavor becomes rich and deep. Taking about five minutes to cook, the aromatics and spices balance out the sweet flavors with smokiness. Then, roasting the tomato paste and flour in those aromatics brings umami flavor as well as a velvety thickness. Then, the soup is finished with a touch of cream (or plant milk) to add a satisfying mouth feel.
- Packed Full of Nutrients. According to WebMD, a half-cup serving of ripe bell peppers has more vitamin C than a glass of orange juice. Red bell peppers are also a great source of fiber, vitamins A, B6, K1, and E, as well as potassium and folate. Pretty tasty way to get your veggies!
- Versatile Recipe. This vegetable soup recipe can be served as a main course (we love it with sourdough toast) or as a starter for a heartier meal. It’s also a vegetarian soup and can easily be made vegan by substituting the cream with a dairy-free half & half or plant-based milk.
- Easy to Make. Despite its depth of flavor, this creamy red pepper soup is easy and quick to make.
- Can Be Made Ahead. Make a batch of this soup for dinner tonight and freeze the extras for lunch next week. When freezing, reheat gently on low heat without bringing the soup to a boil – just until it is steamy and hot.
- Comforting & Satisfying. With its velvety smooth texture and rich, deep flavors, this is comfort food that will leave you full and satisfied.
You can buy a red pepper soup in a box at the grocery store. We’ve done it many times! But we’re here to tell you that this homemade soup recipe surpassed the flavor of that version and is a quick and easy soup recipe you’ll actually crave. It’s smooth, creamy, with the sweetness of the red peppers balanced by the smokiness of smoked paprika and cumin.
Ingredients.
Spices.
Smoked Paprika.
Paprika is actually just dried and ground red peppers, so adding a paprika to a red pepper soup recipe just seems natural! Adding Smoked Paprika is a great way to add a smoky flavor to the bell peppers and balance out their inherently sweet flavor.
Sometimes Smoked Paprika is referred to as Spanish Paprika as it is in Spain where the method of smoking the red peppers over an oak fire before grinding them came to be. In Spanish, Smoked Paprika is called Pimentón de la Vera, and it’s a lovely way to add smoky flavor to dishes without needing to smoke the actual dish.
Ground Cumin.
Cumin adds a nutty warmth with a bit of smokiness to this soup, which helps to balance out the sweetness of the red peppers.
Minced Dried Garlic.
SpiceTopia’s Minced Dried Garlic is a convenient substitute for fresh garlic. With a package of this in your pantry, you won’t have to worry about dried up or sprouted garlic cloves!
Pacific Flake Sea Salt.
Pacific Flake Sea Salt is an all-natural kosher flake salt that is our everyday go-to salt.
Tellicherry Black Pepper.
When using just a few ingredients, it’s always best to use the best ingredients. Our Tellicherry Peppercorns are the highest grade of black peppercorns available. Their rich, complex pepper flavor is considered the king of pepper! One of the most multipurpose spices we know of, Tellicherry pepper truly does go with just about anything!
Find these spices and over 100 more at SpiceTopia!
Vegetables.
Red Bell Peppers. This recipe calls for red peppers, but we usually use a mix of red, orange, and yellow peppers simply because they come in colorful three packs in our grocery store! Any ripe bell pepper will work, just don’t use green peppers as they will impart an extremely bitter taste.
Red Onion. The extra spicy kick of red onions goes well with the sweetness of the red bell peppers. You can of course substitute any onion variety you prefer or have available.
Tomato Paste. Just a few tablespoons of tomato paste adds a tremendous amount of umami and depth to this pepper soup recipe.
Dairy.
Cream. This recipe calls for half a cup of cream to add richness and a creamy texture. You could also use sour cream, yogurt, or even half & half.
To make a vegan creamy roasted red pepper soup, feel free to substitute half & half or your favorite variety of plant milk or plant based sour cream or yogurt. Or you could skip the dairy altogether for a straight veggie soup.
Broth vs. Water
Using chicken broth or any other broth isn’t necessary in this recipe (or in most recipes!). Most recipes (even soup recipes) didn’t call for chicken broth/stock before a marketing campaign started pushing chicken stock as a way to combat declining canned soup sales.
If we have a good bone broth on hand, we’ll use it for its nutritional properties. If we don’t, we use water instead. There are enough flavorful ingredients in this recipe without the marginal amount of flavor broth would add.
To make this roasted red pepper soup vegan, skip any chicken broth and use water or a vegetable broth.
Technique or How to Make Roasted Red Pepper Soup
This soup is quick and easy to put together.
First things first, cut the bell peppers in half and remove the seeds. Place on a baking sheet.
Place the peppers about 12 inches below your broiler until the pepper skins begin to blacken. In our oven, this takes about 7–8 minutes, but time will vary depending on your oven.
After the peppers have blackened, remove them from the oven. Allow them to cool until you can comfortably handle them. Then peel off as much of the skins as possible. Don’t worry about getting all the skin off – just the really charred parts. Then roughly chop the peppers.
Next, you’ll sauté your onions before adding the spices to temper for just about a minute. And then, the tomato paste and flour is added to the pan and allowed to toast for about a minute. Add the water/broth slowly while stirring constantly and scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. The peppers then go into the pan to cook for about 8–10 minutes just to help break them down.
The soup is then blended until smooth before the dairy is added. Finish with a squeeze or two of lemon juice and a sprinkle of parsley leaves.
And that’s it! You have a delicious and healthy bowl of soup!
Other Soup Recipes to Enjoy
At SpiceTopia, we love soup! A few of our favorites include:
Moroccan Spiced Vegetable Soup with Couscous
Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Soup
Ingredients
Soup Ingredients
Garnish
Instructions
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Adjust the broiler rack about 12 inches from the broiler element and turn on the broiler. Cut peppers in half lengthwise, remove stems and seeds. Place on a baking sheet, skin side up. Place under the broiler until skin is puffed up and charred - 8–10 minutes.
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Remove from the broiler and set aside until cool enough to handle. Then remove skin by peeling it off by hand. Don’t worry about getting all the skin off – just the really charred parts. Then roughly chop the peppers. Set aside
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Add oil, chopped onions, Pacific Flake Sea Salt, and Tellicherry Black Pepper to medium soup pot over medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Cook until the onion is translucent.
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Stir in the Smoked Paprika, Ground Cumin, and Minced Dried Garlic. Stir until you smell the spices – about 30 seconds. Then stir in the tomato paste and flour. Stir and cook for another minute.
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Slowly whisk in the water or broth, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot, while stirring away any lumps. Add the chopped peppers and turn down the heat to medium low.
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Simmer for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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Remove from the heat. Using an immersion blender or a food processor, blend your soup until it is smooth. Return the soup to the pot and over low heat stir in the cream. Do not let the soup come back to a boil, only heat up to desired serving temperature.
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Taste for salt. Adjust seasoning if needed. Garnish with parsley leaves and a squeeze of lemon juice.
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Enjoy!