Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup

Serves 4-6

This warming dish is so full of flavour, yet so easy to make. I do adore an oven-soup.  It has to be the easiest and most hands-off way to prepare a soup, and it was a total revelation when I first tried it. Gone are the days of needing to tend to the saucepan or constantly stirring over a hob.  All of the ingredients go on a roasting tray with a glug of olive oil and some herbs, and then into the oven to just happily get their roasting game on.   Then all that is needed is to blend them with some vegetable stock.  Et Voila! Soup done! Roasting the veggies also gives the flavour an added richness and I love the fact that this soup can be used as a blank canvas for whichever herbs and spices tickle your fancy.  I went for a smoky chipotle vibe, with a little spicy kick, but it is also fabulous with some rosemary and sage too if you are not a fan of spicy food.

You could be forgiven for not normally associating red peppers with being particularly immune boosting, but they actually contain over twice the amount of vitamin C of citrus fruits, which are normally everyone’s go-to when they feel the sniffles coming on.  One serving of this tasty soup provides over 400% of my daily Vitamin C and 121% of my Vitamin A.  This makes it a wonderful source of the antioxidant vitamins that helps our bodies fight off those dreaded germs that seem to be trying their best to infiltrate every which way!

P.S - I know I’m committing a major food-blogging faux pas here by giving you a recipe with (whisper it) out-of-season produce. But when a client specifically requests it, then who am I to deny their rumbly tummies? So apart from a slap on the wrist for not being seasonal - this soup is an absolute winner! 

INGREDIENTS

·     6 Sweet Red Peppers
·     3 Medium - Large Red Onions
·     A whole bulb of Garlic
·     300g Cherry Tomatoes
·     1L Vegetable Stock 
·     1 tbsp Olive Oil
·     2 tsp Smoked Paprika
·     Salt & fresh Black Pepper 
·     Optional - 1 tsp Chipotle Chilli Flakes 

METHOD

·     Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
·     Halve and de-seed the peppers.
·     Peel and quarter the onions.
·     Remove the garlic cloves from the bulb and peel.
·     Place the red peppers and onions on a large roasting tray, drizzle with olive oil, smoked paprika, chilli flakes and a little salt and pepper.
·     Roast for 20 minutes before adding the tomatoes and garlic cloves.  
·     Continue to cook for another 15 minutes until everything is soft and just starting to brown.
·     Put all of the roasted vegetables in a high-speed blender with the vegetable stock (you might have to do this in 2 batches), or else use a stick blender until smooth.
·     Taste and adjust seasonings accordingly – you might want to add some more smoked paprika, chilli flakes, salt and pepper as needed.
·     Serve immediately, or else this soup freezes very well too. 

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Calories – 156
Protein – 3g
Fat – 5g
Carbohydrates – 25g
Fibre – 7g
Vitamin C – 413%
Vitamin A – 121%
Iron – 7%