Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword soup, tomato soup

Calories 449kcal

First you need to roast your red peppers. Sometimes you can find roasted red peppers already cooked and de-skinned in a jar, which makes this an even easier meal to prepare. But if you can't find any in a jar or just prefer to roast your own, here's how.
Remove the stem, inside veins, and seeds from the bell peppers. Cut in fourths. Rub a tablespoon of olive oil over a baking pan and place the peppers on the pan, cut side down.
Cook under the broiler until the skins become charred looking, about 6-8 minutes for me. I find that broilers are all a little different, so keep an eye on them so they don't burn.
Once you remove them from the oven, place in a plastic bag (or two). Seal and let them steam for a couple of minutes. Once they are just cool enough to handle, remove the bags and peel off the skins.
In a medium sized pot, add a tablespoon olive oil and heat over medium heat. Toss in the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes until it begins to soften. Toss in the garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes. Season with the cayenne and a little salt and pepper.
Now add in the canned tomatoes and juices and the roasted red peppers. Cook over medium low heat for 5-6 minutes until everything gets heated. Puree with an immersion blender or in a blender in batches (be careful as it's hot!).
Continue to cook and add the cream if you are using it. Also, if the soup seems too thick, you can add a little vegetable stock or water to thin it out. Add salt and pepper to taste.