Roasted Tomato & Red Pepper Soup

The start of fall always puts me in the mood for soup. The air turns crisp, the light shifts, and suddenly all I want is something warm bubbling on the stove. This roasted tomato and red pepper soup is the one I reach for again and again, especially when we have friends over. It’s easy to make, feels a little special, and somehow everyone always loves it.

It’s my go-to for cozy dinners and my favorite to serve to vegetarian friends, too. The roasting brings out such deep sweetness in the tomatoes and peppers, and straining the blended mixture through a mesh sieve makes the texture extra silky. It’s a simple step that makes it feel elevated. The girls always help with the fun part, pressing the blender buttons and watching it all turn into something beautiful.

It’s warm, smooth, and quietly comforting, the kind of soup that just feels right this time of year.

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Roasted Tomato + Red Pepper Soup

Yield 4-6

Author Bramble Mill

Prep time

10 Min

Cook time

1 H & 20 M

Total time

1 H & 30 M

A silky roasted tomato and red pepper soup made with fresh basil, garlic, and a touch of cream. Perfect for cozy days inside, this easy vegetarian recipe is rich, flavorful, and simple to make, ideal for family dinners or serving to guests.

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Ingredients

Ingredients

• 3–4 red bell peppers, seeded and sliced
• 10 Roma tomatoes, halved
• 3 cups cherry tomatoes (or any kind you like in enough quantity to fill two sheet pans)
• 2 whole garlic bulbs, tops sliced off to expose the cloves
• 3–4 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• 2 cups hot vegetable broth (plus more as needed)
• 1 cup loosely packed fresh sweet basil leaves
• ½ tbsp smoked paprika
• ¼ tbsp garlic powder
• ¼ tbsp onion powder
• 2 tbsp sugar (or to taste)
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 3 tbsp heavy cream (plus more for drizzling, if desired)
• Optional: 1–2 tsp cornstarch (to thicken, if desired)

For serving (optional)

• Fresh basil leaves
• Parmesan flakes
• Homemade sourdough croutons
• Grilled cheese or toasted sourdough

Instructions

Roast the vegetables

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Arrange the tomatoes, sliced red peppers, and garlic bulbs on two large sheet pans. Drizzle generously with olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Roast for 45–60 minutes, until the tomatoes are blistered and lightly charred and the garlic is soft and golden.

Blend

1. Once roasted, squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins into a blender. Add the roasted tomatoes and peppers, the fresh basil, and 2 cups of hot vegetable broth. Blend until smooth.

Strain + season

1. Pour the blended soup through a fine mesh sieve into a large pot, pressing and stirring to extract all the liquid and leave behind the skins and seeds.
2. Over medium heat, stir in the smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, sugar, balsamic vinegar, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Simmer gently for at least 10 minutes to let the flavors fully meld.

Finish

1. Stir in the heavy cream just before serving. Taste and adjust the seasoning, sweetness, or acidity as needed.
2. If you’d like a thicker texture, whisk 1–2 tsp of cornstarch with a splash of broth to make a slurry, then stir it in and simmer briefly until slightly thickened.

Serve

1. Ladle into bowls and top with torn basil leaves, shaved Parmesan, and crispy sourdough croutons. Or serve simply with a golden, buttery grilled cheese for dipping.

Notes

You can use any combination of tomatoes. Just fill two sheet pans in a single layer. Roasting brings out their sweetness, sugar, and balsamic round out the acidity, and a touch of cream softens everything into a velvety finish. Pouring through a sieve is key for that silky texture.