Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup

This roasted tomato and red pepper soup is made by roasting ripe tomatoes, red peppers, red onion and garlic until soft and sweet, then blending them with stock, smoked paprika and a can of white beans. The beans make the soup creamy without any cream and add protein and fiber, so a bowl is filling enough for lunch. It serves 4 and has about 285 calories, 12 g of protein and 9 g of fiber per serving with homemade croutons. Most of the time is in the oven, so it’s an easy recipe for a weekend batch, and it freezes well. It’s especially good in late summer, when tomatoes and peppers are at their cheapest and ripest.

• Serves: 4
• Prep time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: 45 minutes
• Total time: about 1 hour

Ingredients

• 1 kg (2¼ lb) ripe tomatoes, halved (any mix of large and cherry tomatoes)
• 2 red peppers (about 300 g), deseeded and cut into large pieces
• 1 red onion (about 150 g), cut into wedges
• 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ¼ teaspoon salt and black pepper
• 500 ml (2 cups) low-salt vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 can (400 g) cannellini or other white beans, drained and rinsed
• A handful of fresh basil, plus extra to serve

Croutons

• 2 slices (about 60 g) whole wheat bread, cut into cubes
• 1 teaspoon olive oil

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan, 400°F).
2. Roast the vegetables. Spread the tomatoes (cut side up), peppers, onion and garlic over a large roasting tray, or two trays if needed so they’re in a single layer. Drizzle with the oil, sprinkle with the paprika, salt and pepper, and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the tomatoes have collapsed and the edges of the peppers have charred slightly.
3. Make the croutons. For the last 10 minutes, toss the bread cubes with 1 teaspoon of oil on a small tray and bake on a lower shelf until crisp and golden.
4. Combine. Squeeze the garlic out of its skins. Tip the roasted vegetables and all the juices into a large pan. Add the stock and beans and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Blend. Add the basil and blend until smooth with a stick blender, or in batches in a jug blender with the lid vented. Add a splash of water if it’s too thick.
6. Taste and adjust. Season with pepper and a little more salt only if needed. A teaspoon of red wine vinegar or a pinch of sugar can balance tomatoes that are very sharp.
7. Serve. Ladle into bowls and top with the croutons and a few basil leaves.

Tips

• Use the ripest tomatoes you can find. Slightly soft tomatoes are perfect for soup and often cheaper.
• Don’t crowd the tray. Vegetables packed tightly steam rather than roast, and lose the sweet, charred flavor.
• Scrape up the tray juices. They’re full of flavor; a splash of hot stock helps loosen them.
• Sieve for a silky soup. If you want a very smooth texture, push the blended soup through a sieve to remove the tomato seeds and skins, though you’ll lose some fiber.
• Rinse the beans to remove some of the salty liquid from the can.

Swaps and variations

• Without beans: leave them out for a lighter soup, or use 2 tablespoons of ground almonds or a small potato for body.
• Spicy: add a chopped red chili or a pinch of chili flakes to the tray.
• Creamy: stir in a spoonful of plain yogurt or a little crème fraîche to serve.
• Lentils: replace the beans with 75 g of red lentils simmered in the stock for 15 minutes before blending.
• Canned tomatoes: out of season, use 2 cans of whole plum tomatoes, roasted on the tray for 25 minutes with the peppers.
• Gluten-free: skip the croutons or use gluten-free bread, and check the stock label.

For a classic version without peppers, see our tomato basil soup, and for a quick pasta sauce made the same way, our roasted red pepper sauce.

Nutrition per serving (estimate)

One serving is a quarter of the recipe, including the croutons. These figures were calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for raw ripe tomatoes, red peppers, onion, garlic, olive oil, paprika, low-sodium chicken broth (as a stand-in for low-salt stock), canned white beans, basil, salt and whole wheat bread.

One bowl provides around three portions of vegetables toward your 5 a day, plus beans, which count as one more. The sugars come from the tomatoes, peppers and onion, not added sugar. Red peppers are one of the richest vegetable sources of vitamin C, and roasting tomatoes with olive oil helps your body absorb their lycopene. Our guides to bell pepper nutrition and tomato nutrition explain more. Sodium depends heavily on your stock, so check the label: the NHS advises adults to have no more than 6 g of salt a day.

Contains: wheat (gluten, in the croutons). Check the stock label for celery, which is a common allergen in stock.

Storage and freezing

Cool the soup quickly and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days. It freezes well for up to 3 months; freeze it without the croutons in portion-sized containers, leaving a little space at the top. Reheat until it comes to a boil, stirring often. Store croutons in an airtight jar for up to a week.

What to serve with it

• A grilled cheese or hummus sandwich on whole grain bread.
• A green salad with a boiled egg or chickpeas.
• Swirled with pesto or topped with a few toasted seeds.

Common questions

Do I need to peel the tomatoes and peppers?

No. Blending breaks the skins down, and they add fiber. If you prefer, slip the skins off the peppers after roasting, or sieve the soup.

Can I make it without an oven?

Yes. Soften the onion, garlic and peppers in the oil in a large pan, add chopped tomatoes and stock, and simmer for 25 minutes before adding the beans and blending. The flavor will be fresher and less smoky.

Is tomato soup good for you?

A homemade vegetable soup like this is low in saturated fat, high in fiber and full of vegetables. Many ready-made tomato soups are higher in salt and sugar. Our article on whether soup is healthy explains what to look for.

This article is general information, not medical advice. Nutrition figures are estimates from USDA FoodData Central and will change with the brands and amounts you use. If you follow a diet for a medical reason, check the recipe with your doctor or dietitian.