Roasted Red Pepper-Tomato Soup

I’ve talked before about how much my little guy loves soup, and this has to be his very favorite.  This is a creamy tomato soup that is slightly sweet from the roasted sweet peppers, savory from all the vegs, and acidic from the tomatoes…what’s not to love!  It freezes very well, so make a big batch and freeze the leftovers for a rainy day.  J

Roasted Red Pepper-Tomato Soup

4 garlic cloves, whole & unpeeled

4 red bell peppers

2 T olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 28-oz can diced tomatoes

2 bay leaves

4 C chicken stock

1/2 C heavy cream

S&P, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Set bell peppers & garlic on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil & season with salt.  Bake until peppers are blackened…about 30 min.  Place the peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to steam for at least 10 minutes (this allows for easy peeling).  Once they’ve steamed, de-seed, peel, and chop up the peppers.  

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions, carrots, & celery and saute until just starting to caramelize, about 10 minutes. 

Add tomatoes & bay leaves along with roasted peppers.  Squeeze roasted garlic into pot also.  Season with S&P.  Cook together for a couple minutes and then add chicken stock.  Let simmer for about 25 minutes.    

Remove from the heat and puree with an immersion blender (you can do it in batches with a regular blender also).  Taste for seasoning.

Mix in cream and it’s ready to serve!