Roasted Tomato Pepper Soup
This roasted tomato pepper soup is rich, comforting and full of flavor from oven-roasted tomatoes, red bell pepper, onion and garlic. Fresh basil brightens it up, while feta adds a salty, creamy finish.
Just like my garlic mushroom soup, this one is perfect to make and enjoy during the colder months of the year.
Roasting gives the vegetables time to soften and develop browned edges before they hit the blender.
This is a cozy soup for cooler evenings- like my gluten free broccoli cheddar soup, but also a lovely way to use ripe tomatoes when they are plentiful. This and my hot tomato oil of course!
Quick Look: Roasted Tomato Pepper Soup
- 🔪 Prep time: 10 minutes
- 🍳 Cook time: 40–50 minutes
- 🍽️ Servings: 2 servings
- 🥣 Main ingredients: Tomatoes, red bell pepper, onion, garlic, stock, herbs and feta
- ➡️ Method: Chop → roast → blend → garnish
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy
- 🥢 Best served with: Crusty sliced baguette, grilled cheese or a crisp salad.
Jump to:
- Quick Look: Roasted Tomato Pepper Soup
- What's So Great About the Recipe?
- Recipe Ingredients
- Substitutions & Variations
- How to Make Roasted Tomato Pepper Soup
- 💭Top Tip
- Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- How to Serve Roasted Tomato Pepper Soup
- Troubleshooting and FAQs
- More Easy Comfort Food Recipes
- Roasted Tomato Pepper Soup
What's So Great About the Recipe?
- The oven does most of the work. All you need to do is roast the vegetables together, then blend them with stock.
- The soup packs in plenty of flavor without heavy cream. Sweet roasted peppers, garlic and feta make a satisfying combination. It's a flavor combination I used while making my cheesy rice stuffed peppers too.
- It's easy to adjust. Add stock for a lighter soup or keep it thicker for dipping bread.
Recipe Ingredients
Veggies: I used a mix of tomatoes, red bell pepper and an onion. Choose ripe, flavorful tomatoes and remove the stem and membranes from the pepper before using.
Garlic: You'll be roasting the cloves in their skins, then peeling them before blending. The softened cloves add a mellow garlic flavor.
Olive oil: Helps coat the vegetables for roasting. Use extra virgin olive oil or lemon infused olive oil.
Brown sugar: Balances tomatoes that taste especially tart.
Red pepper flakes: Add warmth. Use less for a milder soup and offer extra at the table.
Feta: Adds saltiness and tang.
Stock: Vegetable stock keeps the base meat-free; chicken stock also works if that suits your preferences. I like using my low sodium vegetable broth sometimes.
Thyme and basil: Thyme goes on the roasting tray, while fresh basil is added when blending and serving.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- For a dairy-free version, leave out the feta or use a dairy-free alternative. Use vegetable stock or corn stock to keep it vegan.
- Swap some of the red bell pepper for yellow or orange pepper. Green pepper will give a less sweet flavor.
- For a milder soup, reduce or omit the red pepper flakes.
- If you prefer a lighter tomato soup, keep all the feta for topping instead of roasting and blending it.
How to Make Roasted Tomato Pepper Soup
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Quarter the tomatoes and chop the red bell pepper and onion into bite-sized pieces. Remove the pepper seeds and membranes.
Step 2: Arrange the vegetables, thyme and whole unpeeled garlic cloves in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes. For the version pictured, nestle the feta among the vegetables; otherwise reserve it for serving.
Step 3: Roast for 40–50 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and lightly browned. Let cool slightly, then peel the garlic cloves. Remove any woody thyme stems.
Step 4: Transfer the roasted vegetables, peeled garlic and tray juices to a blender, along with the roasted feta. Add the basil and stock.
Step 5: Blend until smooth, adding stock to reach your preferred consistency. Taste and stir in brown sugar if needed to balance tartness, then adjust the seasoning. Warm gently in a saucepan if needed and serve with basil and any reserved feta.
💭Top Tip
Give the vegetables room on the tray. A crowded pan traps moisture, so the vegetables steam instead of developing the browned edges that give this soup its depth of flavor.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- Use ripe tomatoes for the fullest flavor. Roasting helps concentrate their taste, but bland tomatoes will still make a milder soup.
- Scrape the flavorful juices from the tray into the blender along with the vegetables. I always do this when I make my fire roasted tomatoes too.
- Start with some of the stock and add the rest as needed. You can always thin a thick soup, but reducing a watery one takes longer.
- Season lightly before roasting. Feta and stock can both be salty, so make the final adjustment after blending.
- For a smoother texture, blend thoroughly. If pepper or tomato skins still bother you, pass the soup through a fine-mesh sieve. I do this when I make a batch of homemade tomato Passata.
- Let the vegetables cool enough for your blender to handle safely. An immersion blender in a deep saucepan is another option.
How to Serve Roasted Tomato Pepper Soup
Ladle into warm bowls and finish with fresh basil, feta crumbles if reserved, black pepper or red pepper flakes, and an optional drizzle of olive oil. I like spooning some of my fresh basil Gremolata over the top.
Crusty bread or a grilled cheese sandwich also makes a nice and easy pairing. Sometimes, I also use rusk instead of crusty bread- like I do when I make Cretan Dakos.
Troubleshooting and FAQs
No. This recipe blends the roasted vegetables with their skins on. Peel the roasted garlic, and remove any woody thyme stems before blending. Strain the soup afterward if you prefer an extra-smooth texture.
Tomatoes vary in acidity. Taste the blended soup and stir in a little of the brown sugar listed in the recipe card to balance it. Add gradually so the soup does not become too sweet.
Thin a thick soup with a little stock or water. If it is too thin, simmer it uncovered in a saucepan, stirring occasionally, until it reaches the texture you like.
Refrigerate leftover soup promptly in an airtight container and use within 3–4 days. Keep fresh garnishes separate.
Reheat gently in a saucepan, stirring occasionally and adding a splash of stock or water if it has thickened. Heat leftovers to 165°F before serving.
For longer storage, freeze in individual portions, leaving space for expansion. The soup base freezes best without a feta topping; add fresh feta and basil after reheating. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
More Easy Comfort Food Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this roasted tomato pepper soup or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Roasted Tomato Pepper Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tomatoes
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 onion
- 3-5 garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ cup feta cheese
- 1.5 cup stock
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon basil
Instructions
- Start by chopping the tomatoes into quarters and the bell pepper and onion into bite sized pieces.
- Arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper in a single layer along with the thyme and whole, unpeeled garlic cloves. Sprinkle salt, freshly cracked black pepper and red pepper flakes over them and drizzle olive oil generously over them.
- Bake in the oven preheated at 425°F for 40-50 minutes or until the veggies appear slightly golden brown. Remove the baking sheet and let cool slightly. Peel the garlic and remove the skin.
- Transfer to a blender jar along with the fresh basil and stock.
- Blend for 2-3 minutes until you get a uniform mixture.
- Pour into a soup bowl, top with some more fresh basil, a drizzle of olive oil, feta cheese crumbles and some red pepper flakes or freshly cracked black pepper.
Notes
- Use ripe, juicy tomatoes for the best flavor. Roma tomatoes, vine-ripened tomatoes, or other flavorful varieties work well.
- Cut the tomatoes, red bell pepper, and onion into evenly sized pieces to help them roast at the same rate.
- Arrange the vegetables in a single layer on the baking sheet without overcrowding them. This helps them caramelize rather than steam.
- Roast the vegetables at 425°F for 40–50 minutes, or until they are tender with lightly browned edges.
- Leave the garlic cloves unpeeled while roasting to prevent them from burning. Remove the skins before blending.
- Scrape all the flavorful juices from the roasting tray into the blender for a richer, more flavorful soup.
- Start with less stock when blending and gradually add more until the soup reaches your preferred consistency.
- Add the brown sugar gradually after blending to balance the acidity of the tomatoes without making the soup overly sweet.
- Blend the roasted feta with the vegetables for a creamier soup, or reserve it for garnishing if you prefer a lighter texture.
- Adjust the red pepper flakes to your spice preference, or omit them completely for a milder soup.
- Let the roasted vegetables cool slightly before transferring them to a blender. Blend in batches if necessary to avoid splashing hot liquid.
- Serve the soup with crusty bread, garlic toast, grilled cheese sandwiches, or a fresh green salad.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop until thoroughly heated, adding a splash of stock if needed.
