Soups were made for fall. Who doesn't want a warm bowl of goodness? This nutrient dense recipe adds in an unexpected twist -- roasted red pepper. Adapted from The Café Sucre Farine, I added fresh tomatoes as well because well, what's tomato soup without fresh tomatoes?
TOTAL TIME: 65 MINS
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion roughly chopped
- 8 ounces carrots 5-6 medium-size carrots, roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons of quality pesto (I love Gotham Greens)
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 4 roma tomatoes, halved
- 1 28-ounce can of fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 12-ounce jar of roasted red bell peppers well drained
- 1 4-inch sprig fresh rosemary
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
For the topping:
- thin slices of fresh mozzarella
- fresh rosemary or basil
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 400°F . Place halved roma tomatoes, face side down, on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and salt. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or when charred bits start to appear.
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large Dutch oven or soup pot. Add the chopped onion and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 8 minutes.
- Stir in the pesto and cook for another 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- Add the broth, roasted roma tomatoes, fire-roasted tomatoes, roasted red peppers, rosemary sprig, smoked paprika, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high then cover reduce heat to maintain a slow steady simmer. Simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Using high powered blender like a Ninja, puree the soup until slightly smooth or you reach desired consistency. Allow the soup to cool a bit before blending, then puree in two batches. When blending, vent the top and cover the opening with several thicknesses of paper toweling.
- Return soup to the pot and simmer for another 10 minutes. Taste and add salt and fresh ground pepper, as desired. Serve in bowls and top with fresh sliced mozzarella, chopped fresh basil or rosemary and a side of homemade foccacia bread!
