UPDATE: This post was updated on March 31, 2025 to include conversions for metric measurements and nutrition information.
Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup is fitting any time of year. Cold and rainy spring day? Perfect. Snowy winter day? Windy fall day? There is nothing better than a bowl of warm soup paired with some homemade crusty bread. This is a savory tomato soup and the flavor of the roasted red peppers really come through!
This Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper Soup is delicious paired with Black Pepper Focaccia, Sourdough Discard Breadsticks or Sourdough Discard Cornbread!
And if you're looking for a few other soup options, check out this Pumpkin and Carrot Soup and this Butternut Squash and Red Pepper Soup.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- No chopping skills needed! Since the soup will be blended, a coarse chop on the veggies is perfect.
- This healthy soup freezes well and is great to make a batch to enjoy throughout the week.
- This soup is veggie-packed and also a great place to use up any veggie odds and ends you might have in the refrigerator.
- While it may seem like an extra step, the roasted red pepper flavor really comes through!
Ingredients
There are only a few key ingredients you'll need to bring this soup together. Have a few odds and ends in your fridge that you want to use up? Throw those in, too!
- Red bell pepper: We'll roast the bell pepper for extra flavor before it goes into the soup. If you needed to use an orange or yellow pepper in a pinch, that will work, too!
- Onions: 3 pounds of onions may seem like a lot, but I promise it'll be delicious! I like to use Spanish onions.
- Canned diced tomatoes: You will use the tomatoes as well as the juices for this soup. If you have any straggler tomatoes in the fridge that you need to use up, throw those in as well! You can also use canned whole tomatoes rather than diced; just give them a coarse chop before adding.
- Granulated sugar: You only need a little bit of sugar to counteract the acidity of the tomatoes.
- Non-dairy milk: A bit of milk helps make this soup nice and creamy. I like to use Lactaid or A2 milk, but you could use any unflavored milk (dairy or non-dairy) of your choice.
- Flaky sea salt: I like to finish the soup with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt; Maldon Sea Salt is my favorite!
See full recipe below for detailed directions.
Substitutions & Variations
Soups are very adaptable. Below are a few substitutions and variations you can try!
- Use a different colored pepper: If you don't have a red pepper, try orange or yellow instead! This may affect the final color of your soup, but will still be delicious.
- Add odds and ends: If you have a few veggie odds and ends in the fridge that you want to use up, you can! Carrots, summer squash, zucchini, and extra tomatoes will all work well here.
- Use dairy or non-dairy milk: The important part is to use unflavored milk. You can also use coconut milk in a pinch, but be prepared that this will change the flavor of the soup!
I have not tested this recipe with other variations, but if you do, let us know how it turns out in the comments! I always love to hear how you're adapting these recipes and use those as ideas for future recipes as well!
How to make Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup
This healthy soup comes together in a few easy steps and is packed full of flavor!
Cut the red pepper in half and discard the seeds, membrane and stem. Lay it cut-side down on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes or until the pepper is blackened, very soft, and deflated.
Let the pepper cool until it can be handled, then peel off and discard the skin. Coarsely chop the pepper and set aside.
Melt the butter in a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and stir until transparent and fragrant, about 20 minutes. Don't brown the onions in this step! Mix in the flour and stir for 1 minute.
Add the tomatoes and their liquid, roasted red pepper, chicken stock, sugar, salt, red pepper flakes, and ground black pepper.
Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in the honey, then let the soup cool slightly.
Use an immersion blender or carefully transfer the soup to a countertop blender and blend until smooth. After blending, stir in the non-dairy milk, then serve.
Expert Cooking Tips
- The peppers should be easy to peel after roasting. They'll deflate when you take them out of the oven, then let them cool before handling.
- A rough chop is fine! The soup will be blended, so you don't need to spend too much time chopping the veggies.
- Use either an immersion blender or a countertop blender to blend the soup. Let the soup cool slightly before blending and be careful of splashes!
- Serve topped with fresh basil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
Equipment
You will need a baking sheet for roasting the peppers, and a large soup pot, Dutch oven or stock pot (I like to use a Le Creuset 5-Quart Dutch Oven).
You will also need a blender to blend the soup. This can be done with a hand-held immersion blender, or by transferring the soup in batches to a countertop blender (I use a Ninja 72 oz. Countertop Blender).
Storage
Refrigerator Storage: Once fully cooled, transfer the soup to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat soup in the microwave for 30-60 seconds, or in a pan on the stovetop.
Freezer Storage: Once the soup is fully cooled, transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, let the soup defrost in the fridge overnight before reheating in the microwave for 60-90 seconds, or on the stovetop.
Recipe FAQ
If you wanted to skip this step, you could add the pepper to the soup raw. This will give you a very different flavor profile, but would work if you're short on time.
No. You can use any kind of unflavored non-dairy or dairy milk for this soup.
You will be blending this soup, so a rough chop on the veggies is fine!
Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup
Equipment
- Blender or immersion blender
Ingredients
- 1 red bell pepper
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 pound yellow onions chopped (about 3 medium onions)
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- ¾ cup unflavored non-dairy milk or other unflavored milk of your choice
- fresh basil for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Cut the pepper in half and remove seeds, stem and membrane. Place cut-side down on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and bake for 30-35 minutes until the skins are blackened. The peppers will deflate when you take them out of the oven. Let them cool until they can be handled, then peel and discard the skins. Coarsely chop the pepper and set aside.
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until soft and translucent but not browned, about 20 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add flour and stir constantly for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and their liquid, roasted red pepper, chicken stock, sugar, salt, red pepper flakes, and ground black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occassionally. Stir in the honey.
- Remove from heat and let cool. Using an immersion blender, or working in batches with a countertop blender, blend the soup until smooth. Once blended, stir in the milk. Serve topped with fresh basil.
Megan Lee says
This recipe is sooo good and sooo delicious and soo easy and such a good excuse to eat more vegetables. Thank you so much for posting this and I can't wait to try more of your recipes. YUM!
Dawn p says
In the explanation you have 3 lbs of onions but in the recipe you have 1 lb. Which should I use?
Jessica Vogl says
This post has been on my "to update" list for a while, so thank you for giving me a reason to do it today! The post has now been updated and 1 lb. onions (about 3 medium onions) is correct. Thanks for flagging!