Easy Creamy Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup Recipe

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This delicious roasted tomato and red pepper soup is creamy, nutritious and full of flavour. It's great as a starter, lunch or easy weeknight meal and can be gluten-free, vegan, and low in calories. It's also stove top and soup maker friendly.

creamy roast tomato and red pepper soup in a white bowl with grated cheese and chives sprinkled on top

Say hello to one of my favorite soup recipes: roasted tomato and pepper soup. If you love Italian recipes, then this will end up on your favorite comfort foods list when you have a lot of sweet peppers and tomatoes.

Originally inspired by Delia Smith's roasted tomato basil soup but with cheese croutons, mine has amalgamated over the years with different veggies and ratios.

For best results, the key is roasting tomatoes and peppers near an open flame for an intense, sweet flavor. It's rich in vitamins and antioxidants, and perfect with grilled cheese sandwiches or crusty bread for dipping.

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✔️ Why You'll Love This Recipe
🛒 Ingredient Notes
📋 Instructions
👩‍🍳 Substitutions
⚖️ Variations
🔪 Equipment
❄️ Storage
💡Pro Tips
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
❓ FAQ
➕ More Easy Soup Recipes
🍽️Soup side dishes
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

✔️ Why You'll Love This Recipe

Here are just a few reasons why we think you'll love this healthy roasted red pepper soup with tomatoes:

It's so delicious
Uses simple ingredients
A great way to use a glut of tomatoes
Cheaper to make than Trader Joe's Tomato Soup
A great recipe for most diets - easily customised
It's packed with vitamin C and is rich in antioxidants
Comforting and soothing to eat during cold weather
An easy recipe where your oven does most of the work

🛒 Ingredient Notes

Please see the printable recipe card with exact ingredient quantities and preparation instructions at the bottom of this post.

ingredients needed for roast tomato red pepper soup

Olive Oil - or low calorie cooking oil spray like Fry Light if wanting to make an unofficial Slimming World tomato and red pepper soup healthy recipe. Or melt butter and drizzle on the tomatoes
Fresh tomatoes - I pick bright red salad tomatoes from my grocery store, or sometimes use a glut of cherry tomatoes from my veg patch. Skins are removed by placing them in boiling water, or you can use 2 tins of canned tomatoes and let them reduce in a roasting tin
Red bell peppers - halved and deseeded. They add sweetness and a lot more vitamin C than if using green orange or yellow peppers
Red kidney beans in water - in my original recipe I used 1 medium potato. However, I now use kidney beans or chickpeas as recommended by Arthritis Foodie, Emily Johnson to help inflammation and are higher in protein and fibre
Water - or replace this and cubes for homemade chicken broth, vegetable broth, etc
Stock cubes - whatever flavour of your choice, ie, vegetable stock for vegetarians and vegans. Or use chicken stock cubes
Red onion - for a sweet and tangy taste and have more antioxidants than white onion
Dried basil - I sprinkle my raw tomatoes with basil before roasting because I almost never have fresh basil leaves in
Tomato puree - AKA tomato paste to intensify the flavour
Garlic cloves - minced, or you can leave the skins on and roast in the same baking tray for a caramelised taste. If you don't have fresh garlic, then use 2 teaspoon of garlic powder
Seasoning - I use kosher salt and black pepper
Smoked paprika - for a smokey warming taste, which is optional
Balsamic Vinegar - for sweet acidity to add a little bit of tang, which is Gluten Free, or you could use red wine vinegar, Hendeson's Relish (vegan) or Worcestershire sauce (not GF or vegetarian)
Sour cream - or cream cheese for stirring in at the end

📋 Instructions

First, preheat your oven to 170 c fan, 190 c conventional, gas mark 5 or 375F Celsuis.

tomatoes in boiling water in a large stainless steel mixing bowl to peel the skins

1. Place your tomatoes in boiling water and leave for around 5 minutes until the skins start to blister.

Note, to make it an extra easy tomato soup recipe, you can skip this if you have a high-speed blender.

person peeling tomato skins off after leaving in boiling wate and running under a cold tap in a colander

2. Now run under a cold tap or ice water.

The skins should now be easy to peel off.

halves tomatoes and red bell peppers with garlic, basil, oil and seasoning in baking dish before roasting

3. Slice the tomatoes in half and place them on a sheet pan with the seedy flesh facing upwards (or skin sides down if skipped peeling).

Add the halved peppers, and scatter the minced garlic, basil, and a little salt and pepper.

Now add a drizzle of olive oil and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour until starting to char.

person gently frying diced red onions in large saucepan

4. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, add some oil and saute the diced onions until softened over medium heat.

person cooking broth for soup with onions

5. Now add in the stock, kidney beans, puree, smoked paprika and balsamic vinegar and heat through.

If using a potato, simmer until tender.

person stirring roasted peppers and tomatoes in a soup stock

6. Now add the roasted peppers and tomatoes to the pan.

Soup makers: you may need to add more stock to reach the minimum line.

person blending roasted tomato pepper soup with a stick blender

7. Add any fresh herbs such as basil and blend with a stick blender or similar until smooth.

dollop or thick cream in a pot of tomato basil soup

8. For a creamy tomato soup, stir in a good dollop or fat free natural yogurt, quark, creme fraiche, double cream and/or cheese.

Then serve and drizzle each bowl of soup with a little olive oil.

Tip: to get the best flavour for this easy tomato and red pepper soup, swirl the stock around the roasting dish and scrape any charred caramelised bits and pop back in the hot soup

Bowl of roast tomato with red pepper soup on a baking tray

👩‍🍳 Substitutions

Depending on your dietary needs, here are a few simple swaps you can make to this creamy red pepper tomato soup:

Cream - for a dairy free option, stir in plant based cream at the end
Tomatoes - swap for tinned tomatoes, passata (tomato sauce), and simmer with honey for sweetness or solely make a roasted red pepper soup
Stock - for a vegan roasted tomato red pepper soup, use appropriate stock and cream to stir in at the end. Also, ensure you use Gluten Free broth if needed
Red bell peppers - you can use other colours, but bright red peppers tend to have more nutrition. Alternatively you can swap for more tomatoes or jarred roasted red peppers
Onion - swap for any onion you wish, but I try to use red onions or shallots where possible as they are sweeter and have more health benefits
Kidney beans - you can cook the soup with other starchy carbs if you wish to help thicken the soup while also offering properties to help fight inflammations. These are a cup of brown rice, lentils, quinoa, sweet potatoes., mixed beans and more. If not important, swap for a diced potato

Close up of cheesy roast tomato with red pepper soup

⚖️ Variations

Here are some different ways you can enhance and personalise this roasted red pepper and tomato soup with fresh tomatoes:

Spicy tomato and roasted pepper soup - add some red pepper flakes, chilli flakes or harissa for a warming, spicy kick
Roast tomato pepper soup with basil: stir in lots of fresh basil leaves just before and after blending. Note, if you add it too early, the heat will destroy the flavour
Low carb - for a thicker, keto friendly roasted red pepper tomato soup, instead of kidney beans, simmer the stock with a head of cauliflower

🔪 Equipment

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Chopping board
Chopping knife
Baking sheet or tray
Measuring jug
Measuring spoons
Weighing scales
Soup maker or a pan and immersion blender, food processor, etc

❄️ Storage

Storing - we prefer eating this creamy soup freshly pureed, but it can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Freezing - cool to room temperature and again, store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.

Reheating - If you want to eat the next day, defrost in the fridge if required and microwave until piping hot, or on the hob or stove. I recommend adding more fresh basil as reheating can lose its flavour

💡Pro Tips

If you have a high speed blender like this, you can skip skinning the tomatoes
To save on washing up while making roasted pepper and tomato soup, roast the toms and peppers in a large Dutch oven, then use the same pot to add the stock and finish the soup
To get a rich flavour for your roasted tomato pepper soup, swirl the stock around the roasting tin to extract every bit of charred flavour - these are the caremlised bits!
Use a powerful blender to even distribute the rich flavours of this roasted red pepper tomato soup where possible - it will also be smoother

🍽️ Serving Suggestions

Grilled cheese sandwich - make some croque monsieurs (French cheese and ham sandwiches) or ham and egg muffin cups which we love to dip into the soup

Cheese croutons - grill some slices of a French baguette drizzled in oil, or homemade cheese scones then toasted before grilling with cheese on top. Goat's cheese is particularly divine!

Bread and butter - my Dad always tears buttered bread into bite size chunks, then stirs it into the soup before eating. I recommend this cheesy Italian damper bread!

Cheese and onion muffins - made with leftover mashed potato, these unofficial Slimming World savoury muffins are great for tearing and using as soup dippers

Potato kugel - slices of baked potato kugel as also perfect for breaking up and stirring in to add more bulk to the soup

❓ FAQ

How do you thicken roasted red pepper and tomato soup?

You can thicken roasted red pepper tomato basil soup in many ways, such as cooking it with pasta, quinoa, chickpeas, cous cous, lentils, potato, brown rice, etc then blending it. Or, you can thicken it with a slurry of cornstarch, potato starch, arrowroot powder, or xantham gum dissolved in cold water first.

Is roasted red pepper and tomato soup gluten-free?

Yes, this recipe is naturally gluten-free when using gluten free stock and balsamic vinegar. However, make sure to check the labels of your ingredients in case there are any for any hidden gluten.

Can I skip roasting tomatoes when making soup?

To key to the best tomato soup is fire-roasted tomatoes. Yes, it takes extra time, but they add so much flavor as it reduces the moisture content, leaving the tomatoes rich and sweet. If you want to skip it, I recommend adding honey to the soup pot and more tomato puree or tomato sauce

What tomato variety makes the best tomato soup?

Many prefer using plum shaped tomatoes for tomato soup like Roma tomatoes for their balance of sweet and acidity. Alternatively, the best time to buy flavorsome tomatoes is during tomato season (late Summer). You can batch cook with fresh Summer tomatoes and store in the freezer for the Winter months ahead.

Do I need to sautee the onions for tomato red pepper soup?

Although it adds extra minutes to the cooking time, it really does boost the flavor of the soup. If you simply cooked raw soup ingredients without frying or roasting, it would taste very bland.

Can I make roasted red pepper and tomato soup with canned tomatoes?

Yes! Simply pour 2 tins of canned tomatoes in a large roasting dish. Plum or chopped tomatoes will work. Then add the oil, seasoning, garlic and herbs and roast in the oven for 1 hour for a rich flavour before continuing with the recipe. The same method applies with tomato and red pepper soup using passata, but put the peppers in a different dish.

➕ More Easy Soup Recipes

Big fan of soups? So are we! So why not take a look at what our readers think are delicious soup recipes:

🍽️Soup side dishes

Here are some recipes we love to eat with our homemade soups!

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