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This easy roasted red pepper soup recipe is a light yet cozy meal! It’s a really tasty way to use jarred red bell peppers, crushed tomatoes, and a few other pantry staples.
You may also like my Best Tomato Soup and Simple Butternut Squash Soup.
Why you’ll love it
The broth in this soup is bursting with the sweet, smoky, and rich flavors of roasted red bell peppers! If you’re unfamiliar, they’re sun-ripened and then flame roasted before being jarred, so tons of flavor is locked in. It’s a great alternative to regular tomato soup.
This roasted red pepper and tomato soup recipe has such a nice vibrant color. It’s nourishing and has minimal prep. Red peppers are the star, and they’re enhanced with Italian herbs, real cream, and fresh basil as the finishing touch. It’s absolutely delicious.
What you’ll need
- Olive oil and butter – for sautéing
- Onion and garlic – I like sweet onions (e.g. Walla Walla)
- Flour – to thicken the broth
- Broth – use either chicken or vegetable broth
- Roasted red peppers – use your fave jarred brand! I like Mezzetta.
- Crushed tomatoes – a can of these adds more body and flavor to the soup
- Italian seasoning – my usual blend of dried herbs for many recipes! It comes in one jar.
- Sugar – it’s important to balance the acidity of the tomatoes
- Red pepper flakes – for a gentle warmth (not spicy per se)
- Heavy cream – it makes the texture velvety, and it tastes luxurious
- Basil – a pop of freshness and contrast
Helpful tips
- Heat caramelizes the bell peppers’ naturally occurring sugars, resulting in its signature smoky, sweet, savory, and delicately charred quality. Science!
- If you are interested in roasting your own, some of our recipes from waaay back include my Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Sauce or Roasted Red Pepper and Sriracha Hummus.
How to make roasted red pepper soup
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Heat up the oil and butter in a soup pot, then sauté the onions until softened. Stir in the garlic and flour until fragrant. Whisk in the broth until the flour clumps dissolve. Add the red peppers, crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, sugar, crushed red pepper, and cream.
Increase the heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, and let the soup simmer. Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth. Give it a taste, and season generously with salt & pepper. Add in the chopped fresh basil.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- Here is my Dutch oven, and I really like this immersion blender.
- This is my butter dish with measurement markings and really great garlic press.
- I like this ladle for fewer spills!
Substitutions and variations
- I do not recommend subbing the cream for something lower fat because it’s likely to curdle with the acidity of the soup and the high heat it’s cooked at.
- You could sub the cream for full-fat coconut milk if you wish, but it’ll change the flavor a bit.
What to serve with roasted red pepper soup
- This is a soup that absolutely benefits being devoured alongside a big slice of my Extra Cheesy Garlic Bread! It’s such a tasty pairing. Fresh crusty bread works too.
- Try adding some crumbled Oven Cooked Bacon, freshly grated parmesan, or even some crumbled feta cheese along with my homemade Garlic Parmesan Croutons.
- A tasty salad rounds out the meal. Try mixed greens with my Green Goddess Dressing or my Creamy Balsamic Dressing, or get creative with this Creamy Pesto Dressing.
Leftovers and storage
- Store leftover roasted red pepper soup in the fridge for 4-5 days. (Make sure it’s cooled first.)
- Reheat slowly over a low heat on the stovetop until warmed through.
- You can freeze this one for up to 3 months.
Did you make this homemade roasted red pepper soup? If so, talk to me in the comments below! You can also tag me on Instagram with your S&L creations.
Easy Roasted Red Pepper Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups chicken broth or veggie broth
- 2 (12 ounce) jars roasted red bell peppers drained
- 1 (15 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning or to taste
- 1/2 tablespoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or to taste
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 generous handful fresh basil torn/chopped
Instructions
- Add the olive oil and butter to a soup pot over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the onion and sauté it for 5-7 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and flour, and cook it for about a minute.
- Stir (or whisk) in the chicken broth until the flour has dissolved.
- Add the roasted red peppers, crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, sugar, red pepper flakes, and cream to the pot. Increase the heat to high and bring it to a gentle boil.
- Once the soup comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer. Let it cook with the lid slightly open for 10 minutes or so.
- Blend the soup until smooth. I use an immersion blender and blend right in the pot, but you can transfer to a regular blender if desired. You may want to let the soup cool for a while first.
- Season with salt & pepper as needed (I am generous with both) and stir in the fresh basil.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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