Roasted Red Pepper Soup (Printable)

Silky roasted red pepper and garlic soup with harissa spice.

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 4 large red bell peppers
02 - 1 medium yellow onion, diced
03 - 1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
04 - 1 head garlic
05 - 1 medium potato, peeled and diced

→ Pantry

06 - 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
07 - 1 tablespoon tomato paste
08 - 1½ teaspoons harissa paste, adjust to taste
09 - 4 cups vegetable broth
10 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
11 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ Garnish

12 - ¼ cup crème fraîche or plain Greek yogurt
13 - Fresh cilantro or parsley leaves
14 - Crusty bread for serving

# Directions:

01 - Preheat the oven to 425°F.
02 - Cut the red peppers in half, remove seeds and membranes, and place them cut-side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Slice off the top of the garlic head to expose the cloves, drizzle with olive oil, wrap in foil, and place on the baking sheet.
03 - Roast peppers and garlic for 25 to 30 minutes, until the pepper skins are charred and blistered. Remove and let cool while keeping the oven on.
04 - Once cooled, peel the skins off the peppers and squeeze the roasted garlic cloves from their skins.
05 - In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and potato. Sauté for 5 to 7 minutes until softened.
06 - Stir in tomato paste and harissa; cook for 1 minute.
07 - Add roasted peppers, roasted garlic, smoked paprika, and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until vegetables are tender.
08 - Puree the soup in batches using a blender or with an immersion blender until silky smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
09 - Ladle into bowls, swirl with crème fraîche or yogurt, and garnish with fresh herbs as desired. Serve with crusty bread.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen, but the actual work is surprisingly minimal and forgiving.
  • The color alone is stunning enough to make a simple weeknight dinner feel like something worth celebrating.
  • Roasting the peppers beforehand means all the hard flavor work is done before you even touch a pot.
02 -
  • Charring the peppers deeply matters more than you might think; pale roasted peppers make a thin-tasting soup, so don't pull them out early.
  • Blending the soup completely is essential for that restaurant-quality silkiness, so don't stop until it's perfectly smooth and no flecks remain.
  • Harissa paste is intense, so start with 1½ teaspoons and taste before adding more; you can always add heat, but you can't take it back.
03 -
  • Use a good immersion blender if you have one, as it saves you the step of ladling hot soup into a blender and cuts cleanup time in half.
  • Slice your peppers in half lengthwise rather than in rings; the flat cut-side-down position roasts more evenly and chars beautifully.
  • Taste the soup before you finish blending; sometimes you need a little extra harissa or a pinch more salt to make it sing the way you want.
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