Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup Recipe

Roasted red pepper and tomato soup in a bowl, garnished with croutons, fresh basil, olive oil and cream.

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Cozy vibes, but make it late summer? This Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup is the perfect recipe to bridge late summer to early fall. It’s creamy, sweet, savory and perfectly balanced. And it’s ready in under 45 minutes.

Prep Time10

Cook Time25

Total Time35

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Soup

Cuisine: Mediterranean, Seasonal

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: Servings

Author: Luay Ghafari

Cost: $10

Ingredients

For the Roasting Tray

2 pints Cherry tomatoes
1 Large red bell pepper (cut into large chunks)
1 Onion (peeled and quartered) - white or yellow
3-5 Garlic cloves
1 tbsp Thyme leaves - stripped from the stem
3 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp Kosher salt
¼ tsp Black pepper

Other Soup Ingredients

1 cup Chicken or vegetable broth
¼ cup Basil leaves

Garnish

Croutons, heavy cream, olive oil, or basil leaves

Instructions

Preheat and Prep. Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a rimmed baking tray or sheet pan with parchment. On the tray, add 2 pints Cherry tomatoes, 1 Large red bell pepper (cut into large chunks), 1 Onion (peeled and quartered) , 3-5 Garlic cloves, and 1 tbsp Thyme leaves. Drizzle generously 3 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil, then season with 1 tsp Kosher salt and ¼ tsp Black pepper. Toss a bit so everything is coated.
Roast Until Charred. Place the baking sheet in the oven on the middle rack and roast for 25‑35 minutes, checking at about 25 minutes. You want the edges of the peppers and onions to show good char and the tomatoes to blister and soften. The flavours deepen significantly once there’s that smoky, roasted edge.
Add to Blender. Carefully transfer the roasted veggies (and all the juices) into a blender. Add 1 cup Chicken or vegetable broth and ¼ cup Basil leaves.
Blend. Blend until the mixture is silky smooth. If it’s too thick, you can add a little more stock to reach your desired consistency.
Warm and Adjust. Pour the blended soup into a pot over medium‑low heat. Warm through gently, stirring occasionally. At this point, taste and adjust seasoning: maybe more salt, a crack of black pepper, or even a pinch of sugar if the tomatoes are very acidic.
Serve & Garnish. Once warmed and well‑seasoned, ladle into bowls. Garnish with Croutons, heavy cream, olive oil, or basil leaves.

Notes

Refer to the blog post above for step by step recipe photos, helpful tips and advice.

Key Ingredient Notes:

Bell Pepper: Since we are making a tomato soup here, I would recommend using red bell peppers or red shepherd peppers. Red peppers are a must (yellow peppers are okay too). Don’t use green peppers here or else the soup will take on a muddy color.
Fresh Tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes work well. They are juicy, sweet and delicious. But you can also chop up larger tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, San Marzano tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes or grape tomatoes.
Fresh Herbs: I am using fresh thyme and fresh basil in this recipe. The thyme roasts along with the tomatoes and peppers, whereas the basil is blended into the soup later.
Stock or Broth: Blending the tomatoes, peppers and onion will yield a pretty thick consistency so you need some liquid to thin it out for soup. I like using chicken broth, but you can use vegetable broth or vegetable stock and keep it entirely vegan or vegetarian.

Serve it with crusty bread (like my No Knead Whole Wheat Bread), Cheesy Jalapeno Cheddar Focaccia or simply as a starter with one of my Main Dish Recipes.

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