Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup

Who doesn't need a healthy and comfort bowl of soup that can be put together in three easy steps? When I say extremely easy I mean that you won't even need a saucepan to make this soup!

Some days we just need to take a break from spending too many hours in the kitchen but our body still asks for something warm and nutritious. This roasted tomato and red pepper soup is the best way to finish those days. All you need is a big baking tray, an oven and a blender to do all the work.

Our recipe is naturally vegan, gluten-free and toddler and kids friendly. Our two years old toddler loves this soup especially if we serve it with our homemade croutons on the top. He will keep asking for more until all the croutons are gone!

To make this dish richer and creamier, we add some sweet potato, onion and garlic to the baking tray with the cherry tomatoes and red pepper and prepare a homemade cashew cream to add on the top before serving.

As much as we love a good Gazpacho during the summer months when the weather starts to change a warm bowl of soup just makes our body happy from the inside!

Ingredients

Our roasted tomato and red pepper soup can be prepared with just a handful of ingredients.

Cherry Tomatoes. We choose cherry tomatoes as they tend to be sweeter. If you prepare this recipe at the end of the summer when the weather starts to get cooler, you can most probably still find big, juicy and sweet tomatoes.

Red bell pepper. The second key ingredient for this soup. When you bake red pepper, they almost caramelize and will bring a delicious smoky and sweet punch to your soup.

Sweet potato. Using sweet potato, you can get a thicker and creamier soup. As well, sweet potatoes are highly nutritious being a great source of fibre and vitamins.

Onion and garlic. Both ingredients can be roasted with the rest of the veggies to enhance the flavour of the soup.

Dried herbs. We use oregano and basil, but feel free to use any dried herbs of your choice. Other great options are thyme, rosemary or sage.

Olive Oil.

Vegetable Stock. You can use homemade vegetable stock or store-bought one.

Optional:

Cashews. We leave the cashews soaking in warm water for an hour before using them. This is the only ingredient you need to make cashew cream. Alternatively, you can use any other plant-based milk.

Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup in three simple steps

1. Add cherry tomatoes, chopped red pepper, peeled and chopped sweet potato, chopped onion, a garlic head, olive oil and dried herbs into a baking tray. Mix well.
2. Cook in the oven at 200ºC for 30 minutes. Halfway, make sure to mix the ingredients so they don't stick to the pan and cook evenly.
3. Transfer all the ingredients to a blender and add the vegetable stock. Blend until all the ingredients are totally blended and you have a homogeneous consistency.

Optional:

• To prepare the cashew cream, blend the cashews with water using a hand blender until you reach a creamy and smooth consistency.

How to prepare homemade croutons

Since we started making croutons at home, we haven't bought premade ones anymore. They are so easy to make and you can customize them to your taste. For this recipe, as we are already using the oven, you don't even have to heat the oven just to make the croutons.

We use Chapata bread to prepare our croutons. We find that white bread works better than brown, but feel free to use any type of bread you like. Cut the bread into slices and then each slice into cubes (about 1cm).

Transfer them into a baking tray, add some olive oil, dried herbs of your choice and bake for about 8 minutes at 180ºC.

You can serve them immediately with your soup or store them using an air-tight container for 2-3 days.

Serving suggestions

Our roasted tomatoes and red pepper soup makes for a perfect appetizer or main dish. When we serve the soup as an appetizer we simply prepare some croutons to add to the top.

If you are planning on having the soup as a main dish, prepare some Vegan Soda Bread to dip in your soup and make your meal more filling or even prepare a sandwich to serve it with the soup.

Before serving, add some cashew or other plant-based cream on the top.

Leftovers? Don't worry, you can keep the soup in your fridge for 4-5 days or freeze it to enjoy another day!

If you tried our recipe, please leave a comment or tag us on Instagram @Sixhungryfeet. We are always happy to see your creations!