Check ingredients Preheat oven to 400ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the quartered red bell peppers, halved Roma tomatoes, quartered onion, and garlic cloves on the parchment-lined baking sheet.
Drizzle with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 40 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
Transfer the roasted vegetables to a high speed blender along with the vegetable broth, fresh basil, oregano, and cayenne if using.
Blend until you obtain a semi-smooth consistency. If you desire a completely smooth soup, blend until homogeneous.
Taste and adjust salt and pepper levels to your liking.
If the soup is not hot enough for your taste, transfer it into a pot and heat until warmed through.
Enjoy garnished with a drizzle of olive oil, fresh basil, and a crack of black pepper.
Can I use another variety of tomato? Yes, you can opt for any other kind, but make sure that if you are using any variety that is very large in size, quarter them.
Can I use green or orange bell peppers? Orange bell peppers would be a great substitute but green will bring too much bitterness to the soup in my opinion.
Can I use dried herbs instead of fresh ones? I would say that for the basil, stick with the fresh kind as it will really make a difference in the flavour of the soup. However, you can use 1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano instead of the recommended 2 teaspoons of fresh oregano.
Happy late summer!
Although I absolutely love plants and taking care of my mini interior jungle, I have yet to embark on a gardening journey. Therefore, when summer comes around I tend to enjoy the bounty of local, in season fruits and vegetables by buying them in grocery stores and at markets or through my mom.
My mom is an avid gardener. Every summer for the past couple of years, she has grown everything from zucchinis, Swiss chard, eggplants, spicy peppers, onions, herbs, bell peppers, and of course tomatoes.
That means that every year for the past 6-7 years, the end of the summer at my mom’s house was always synonymous with tomatoes galore.
She always harvests a couple of kilograms every year and uses many of them to make various preserves, sauces, and tomato paste. However, she also is very eager to share her harvest with her loved ones, including myself.
This summer, I was particularly inspired by her tomatoes and wanted to pay them (and my mom!) homage through a recipe on my blog.
That is how I created this Roasted Tomato and Bell Pepper soup.
It super easy to put together: roast the veggies, blend them up with broth and a few herbs and tada! You’ve got yourself a luxurious end of the summer soup that is savoury, slightly sweet, and quite frankly addictive.
When it comes to the ingredients used in this recipe, below are the ones I used. For any modifications, refer to the Swaps & Comments section.
Roma tomatoes: More firm than other tomatoes and less sweet than the beef heart kind, they hold their shape well when roasting and are the base of this soup.
Red bell peppers: Wonderfully sweet and aromatic when roasted, they add a lovely fruitiness and a bit of body to the soup.
Yellow onion: Onions are always a great way to add another layer of flavour to virtually any savoury dish. When roasted, their flavour is even more pronounced and complements well all the other vegetables.
Garlic: When roasted, garlic loses a little of its pungent quality but instead becomes sweeter and buttery soft, making it a perfect flavour booster in this recipe.
Salt and pepper: Both seasonings are used to round up all the flavours together.
Olive oil: I chose to use it instead of a more neutral oil to infuse its grassy flavour into this soup.
Vegetable broth: I used Better than Bouillon in this recipe to thin out the soup and really awaken the flavour of all the other vegetables and herbs.
Fresh basil: Basil is a classic pairing with tomatoes. Incredibly aromatic, it adds hints of pepper and sweetness to this soup.
Fresh oregano: Peppery in flavour and almost minty, the addition of oregano to this soup adds another lovely layer of aromatics.
I am really excited to be sharing this recipe with you! This soup is one that has been on rotation all summer in my household and I know it will become a staple every August and September going forward. I really hope you too give it a try.
If you end up making this recipe, don’t hesitate to share about it on Instagram, make sure to tag me (@muriellebanackissa).
Have a wonderful week my friends!
