Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup
This recipe for roasted red pepper and tomato soup celebrates the end of summer heat. Make a giant batch to freeze for cooler weather!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on July 10, 2024
This roasted red pepper and tomato soup is more than just a recipe—it’s a celebration of the end of the summer heat. It’s the option in between gazpacho and creamy tomato soup. As the temperature finally calms down, I implore you to make this soup with the last ripe bell peppers and tomatoes.
This lovely, light soup is slightly spicy. It tastes more strongly of roasted red peppers than tomatoes, and the light smokiness brings Spanish cuisine to mind. It’s vegan as written, though you certainly add cream for a creamier soup. Perhaps the best thing about this soup is that it freezes well for later.
I originally shared this recipe over ten years ago on a rainy day with my dog, Cookie, by my side. It’s still one of my favorites, and revisiting it brings those moments back to life. I really miss my pup.
We’re growing both peppers and tomatoes in our backyard garden this year, though not enough to make a proper batch of this soup. Grace’s favorite thing to do is, “Pick some ’matoes,” and she checks for more cherry tomatoes at least twice a day. She pops them straight into her mouth and can’t get enough.
Now that I’ve bottled up my favorite summer flavors, I’ll soon be ready for creamy fall bisques and hearty vegetarian chili. What are you making next?
How to Make Red Pepper and Tomato Soup
You’ll find the full recipe below. To summarize, you’ll first roast all of the produce on two baking sheets—tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, and garlic. Then, you’ll bring vegetable broth to a boil, add all of the roasted veggies, and simmer for about 10 minutes to meld the flavors. Lastly, blend the soup with an immersion blender or stand blender.
Recipe Variations
This red pepper and tomato soup is wonderfully flavorful and light as written. Here are a couple of variations that you might enjoy as well.
Make it creamy: For a more creamy texture and mellow flavor, blend some heavy cream or half and half into the soup (see the recipe notes for suggested amounts). Or, you can serve individual bowls with a drizzle of cream, or a dollop of sour cream or vegan sour cream.
Add fresh basil: For even more garden-fresh flavor, add anywhere between 5 to 15 fresh basil leaves to the blender at the end. Start with 5, blend, and add more if desired.
Watch How to Make Red Pepper & Tomato Soup
How to Freeze Soup for Later
This soup yields a large batch and freezes well. I recommend freezing soup in glass canning jars. Fill them no further than the freezer line (they need at least one inch of room at the top for expansion). Lightly screw the lids on, freeze fully, and then finish screwing the lids on (otherwise, pressure will build during the freezing process).
To defrost, transfer the jar to the refrigerator overnight. I love to use small, half-pint canning jars for freezing single servings of soup, which defrost more quickly than larger containers.
What to Serve with Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup
I’ll vouch that this soup goes great with grilled cheese sandwiches and simple quesadillas. For a dairy-free option, try my hummus quesadillas. I also love it with avocado toast and basically any green salad.
More Warming Soups to Make
Here are just a few more of my favorite tomato-based soups and stews on Cookie and Kate. These are all designed for canned tomatoes rather than fresh.
- Classic Minestrone Soup
- Pasta e Fagioli (Italian Pasta and Beans)
- Seriously Good Vegetable Soup
- Tomato Soup (Lightened Up!)
- Tortilla Soup
View more soup and stew recipes here. As always, please let me know how your recipe turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup
Roasted red pepper and tomato soup to celebrate the end of summer heat. Make a giant batch to freeze for cooler weather! Recipe yields a lot of soup (about 12 cups), and leftovers freeze well.
Ingredients
- 8 to 9 medium tomatoes (about 5 pounds), cored and quartered
- 3 red bell peppers (about 1 pound), seeded and quartered
- 2 small yellow onions, cut into wedges about ¾” wide on the outer edges
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
- 4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable broth
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- Pinch of cayenne pepper (omit if sensitive to spice)
- Fine salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit with racks in the upper third and middle of the oven. Line two large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place the tomatoes on one of the prepared baking sheets. Place the bell peppers and onions on the other baking sheet. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over each baking sheet.
- Gently toss the tomatoes until lightly coated in oil, then position the tomatoes so the skin sides are facing down. Set aside.
- Gently toss the onions and red peppers until they are lightly coated in oil (try to keep the onion wedges intact as best you can). Position the red peppers with the skin sides facing down. Place the unpeeled garlic cloves on the sheet, too.
- Place the tomatoes on the top rack of the oven and the peppers and onion on the middle rack. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the vegetables are tender throughout and turning nicely golden on the edges.
- When the vegetables are done, bring the vegetable broth to boil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Peel your garlic and toss it in. Add the roasted vegetables, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, if using, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Simmer for 10 minutes, reducing heat as necessary to maintain a steady simmer.
- Purée the soup using an immersion blender or transfer the soup to a blender in batches, several cups at a time. Season to taste with salt (I added another ½ teaspoon) and pepper. This soup keeps well, covered and refrigerated, for 4 days in the refrigerator, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Notes
Adapted from Heidi Swanson’s recipe for roasted tomato and red bell pepper soup in Super Natural Cooking and Sara of Sprouted Kitchen’s recipe for roasted tomato soup.
Make it creamy option: Add 2 tablespoons heavy cream or ¼ cup half and half to the soup for a more creamy texture and mellow flavor (add more to taste). Or, serve bowls with a dollop of sour cream or vegan sour cream.
Basil variation: Add anywhere between 5 to 15 fresh basil leaves to the blender (start with less, taste, and add more as desired).
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
I made this today, even though it was 90 degrees on the Southern Plains. I didn’t want to wait for it to get colder outside. It was satisfying and delicious. I served it with your grilled cheese sandwiches. Yummy!
That is such a great combo! I’m glad this one was worth the hot kitchen. :)
I love your recipes and want to try this red pepper soup. I was wondering if you could recommend a specific vegetable broth. I have the better than bouillon brand but it just doesn’t seem very appealing to me. What are your thoughts on packaged vegetable broths?
Hi Joan! To be honest, I never make my own broths. I have been trying water in place of vegetable broth more often, but I didn’t try it with this recipe. After tasting a few on their own, I have to say many don’t offer much flavor other than some saltiness. I typically try to buy organic and often do the store brands, like Whole Foods 365. I need to do a proper taste test with many brands! That would be fun. I’ll make note of the idea.
Hi Joan! When I don’t have enough veggie scraps to make my own broth and stock, I use Pacific Foods Organic Vegetable Broth. It’s one of the more flavor selections. The bouillon only seems to provide salt and no real flavor. Hope that helps. :)
Hii
Im so excited about this recipe- but regarding the Pacific brand for veggie broth: they add cane sugar in the last 5 or so years. I used to eat Pacific brand roasted red pepper and tomato soup, but I recently just purchased it and it’s so sugary and not even salted. That’s why I was looking for this recipe here . For myself and my daughter who we don’t want extra sugar in our diets for health reasons, unfortunately this PACIFIC brand is a big disappointment. Anyway, just wanted to reply here so that you were aware that if you’re using that veggie broth, it may also have sugar. :( even though we have an epidemic of diabetes and metabolic disorders:( and its sold all over whole foods.
SENSATIONAL! I am a soup lover and maker and this soup has now become one of my favourites, especially now when the farm stands are full of fresh tomatoes and peppers. I did add one additional pepper, just because I had it. This is a great recipe. Thank you so much.
Thank you, Angela! I am delighted by your note. :)
any thoughts on making this with green tomatoes and green bell peppers? That is what is available through my CSA right now! It would make a green soup but would the flavors be ok?
Hey Laura! I’m iffy on that. I personally don’t like the flavor of green bell peppers—red, orange or yellow would definitely work for this recipe. Green tomatoes are typically unripe tomatoes so they will not be sweet. The only use I know of for green tomatoes is fried green tomatoes. Hope that helps!
this soup is so fabulous that I am writing on a recipe for the first time in 10 years of trying recipes. Thank you Thank you Thank you So enjoyed this soup and will make again next summer when I have garden fresh tomatoes again
I tried this recipe today, I used tomatoes, red bell peppers and basil from my garden. I used one over ripped jalapeño I had on one of my plants instead of adding cayenne pepper powder. Instead of grilled cheese sandwiches we had quesadillas. The recipe is simple and delicious. I read a previous comment on chicken broth not having much flavor, so I used organic chicken sipping bone broth.
Every single recipe I have made from Cookie and Kate has been so good. This soup has so much flavour!
Great to hear, Andrea! Thank you for your review.
I love tomato soup and this recipe was perfect touch for a cold fall night.
Do you have any information on the sodium content?
The nutrition information is below the notes section of the blog.
Hello Kate! I am not vegetarian so I am wondering if my own chicken stock would enhance this soup…giving that delicious umami flavour?
It has worked for others, so you could try it. Let me know what you think!
This is one of my go-to cooking blogs; love it!! I just made this and used 5 med/lg heirloom tomatoes and instead of roasting peppers I used a 16oz jar of roasted peppers that has red wine vinegar in it. It turned out really good – I would opt out of the peppers with the vinegar next time, BUT if you like gazpacho which I do, this def has that vibe. Thank you for all your yummy recipes!
This soup is amazing! Followed the recipe exactly and added 1/4 cup of light cream and some fresh basil.
I cant wait to try this! Veggies are currently roasting in the oven as I type. Question – can I add orzo to this? If so, how much?
You could try it. Let me know if you do! I’m not sure on quantities without trying it.
We are making it this week as our temperatures are becoming more fall-like in NC – thank you for sharing this recipe! I regularly add orzo or other small pasta to make soup or chili more filling as a meal: we make the pasta on the side (ditalini, orzo, tiny shells, rice, whatever) add what we want to the bowl and then pour the soup over. This prevents the pasta from getting too soggy, people can add what they like and you can make just what you need. Enjoy!
Will be trying this receipe tomorrow, can you confirm the weight of tomatoes? 5lb seems very heavy for 8-9 medium sized tomatoes. I’m not sure whether to use 8-9 tomatoes or 5lb of tomatoes, unless your ‘medium’ sized tomatoes are quite large
I made the tomato and roast red pepper soup it was lovely .y husband couldn’t get enough of it .I have frozen what I had left over thank you for a easy soup that is absolutely delicious.
Great to hear, Josie!
Delicious! It was a challenge getting it all blended with the immersion blender but totally worth it! We used roasted tomatoes from our freezer from last season and homemade veggie broth so only needed to buy red peppers. I love a quick, easy, and low cost meal! It made a lot so we ate half of the batch and froze the other half for the future. Thanks for a yummy recipe!
You’re welcome, Rachel! Thank you for your review.
This is a wonderful recipe! Only changes I make are substituting fire roasted canned tomatoes (to save money) and adding 1-2 full bulbs of roasted garlic. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! :)
You’re welcome, Emily!
Emily – how many and what size cans did you use? and did you double or triple?
Thanks!
Emily
Emily, what size of it and how many cans did you use of fire roasted tomatoes?
I’m going to make this in a few days and add some celery and spring onions to it, just because I have some leftovers in the fridge. I’ll let you know how it goes!
This soup had so much potential. The instructions don’t tell you to peel the roasted vegetables. If there’s any burnt skin on the peppers, once you purée them into the soup, all you can taste is the burnt flavor. Not good.
Hi Heidi, I’m sorry that was your experience with the soup! I like the subtle caramelized flavor from the charred edges, but it sounds like you are either sensitive to that flavor or your vegetables were roasted longer than shown in my photos.
Thanks Kate! I’m going to try it again – from the recipe it sounds like it should be a pretty good soup.
I want to make this using canned fire roasted tomatoes. How much should I use? thank you
I don’t have quantities, sorry!
Hello- making this tonight or tomorrow. Do you peel your tomatoes/peppers?
See the steps. No need to peel to roast. I hope you love this recipe!
WOW! This soup was quick and easy to make. And it is as good as any tomato soup I have tasted. I doubled the garlic, used red onion (because that was what I had), and I prepared the onions and garlic on the stove in my covered cast iron pan. Also, I added three canned roasted red peppers to the tomatoes. Came out great!
Thank you for your review, Elizabeth!
Just made this today for lunch and it was absolutely amazing! This recipe is bookmarked for the future because I will certainly be making it again. Thank you!!
You’re welcome, Elli!
I didn’t have enough tomatoes so I used extra bell pepper (a mix of red and orange). It worked great and the soup was delicious! I added a bit of coconut yogurt (unsweetened) for serving. Thank you for the recipe!
You’re welcome, Kerri!
Hi, is 5lbs of tomato’s correct? Seems to be a huge amount.
Hi David, yes that is correct. I hope you try it!
This is soooo good and creamy, even without the cream added! Thanks for the recipe. We used yellow peppers and smaller cherry garden tomatoes because that’s what we had on hand. Also omitted the paprika since we have kids eating it and didn’t want to chance it. Followed the recipe aside from that and it was great!I used an immersion blender but followed with blending to smooth it out more. Great with grilled cheese.
Thank you for sharing, Julia!
I have made the red pepper and tomatoe soup many times and it’s always delicious. I was fortunate to get 500 grams of rainbow tomatoes at a greatly reduced price because they were very ripe. I made the soup with them and as I had hoped it was delicious. The best soup recipe ever . Thank you
You’re welcome! Thank you for your review.
Can you substitute chicken broth instead of vegetable broth
That should work too.
I have loads of canned tomatoes from my garden from last summer. Can I roast those on a tray like raw tomatoes?
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure. Sounds interesting!
This soup is delicious. Followed the recipe exactly. Ate some fresh and froze the rest. We finished the frozen soup so I’m making more today. Paired with toasted cheese on sour dough bread this makes a delicious and hearty meal.
Thought this was delicious. I crisped up some chorizo and added to the top of the soup as my family ate meat lovers but the warmth from the spice the flavour from the roasted vegetables was amazing.
I was excited about this recipe and made it last night hoping I could serve it at Thanksgiving. It was…. fine, I suppose. My husband felt the same and said it was bland. I added some extra salt and another splash of cream to our bowls, which helped, but we were not impressed. It’s missing depth. I did substitute chicken stock in place of the vegetable stock, and added the basil before immersion plus a couple tablespoons of cream. I thought those were good additions (and they were) but not enough. Perhaps a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar or something would help? Maybe add them to the tomatoes when roasting or something. I don’t know. Unfortunately we were not impressed.
I’m sorry to hear you didn’t love this one, Scott. I appreciate your feedback.
I LOVE this soup!! Made a little change red onions :) thank you for your beautiful recipes
Super easy recipe to follow and tastes amazing!!
This was really quite tasty. Thank you for the template. I had cherry tomatoes in abundance, I used homemade chicken stock and used red pepper flakes instead of cayenne. I love this non dairy option for my lactose intolerant hubbie.
What happened to the Roasted Red Pepper Tortilla Soup recipe? I keep searching for it, and even when it says I’m clicking on that recipe, it brings me here. I was a big fan of the recipe and roasted and saved a bunch of red peppers from our garden this summer to be able to make it. Is there any way to get that recipe?
Hi Kate,
This is one of my favourite soups ever- in the summer or on a -15 degree day like today. The flavour is amazing and it’s so easy. Thank you!!
I don’t hav vegetable broth. Can I use beef broth.
I love tomato red pepper soup, but it’s so high in sodium for store bought! I had a big carton and a half of grape tomatoes from Costco that were on the verge of going bad- some were wrinkly already. I tossed those, a red bell pepper and yellow bell pepper, a large sweet onion, my garlic in to roast. Used a carton of pacific foods low sodium veggie broth. I added more paprika, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, black pepper and basil. Emulsified it all up – probably should have used my food processor because there’s a lot more skin with grape tomatoes vs reg tomatoes. I added a tbspoon of plain Greek yogurt to the bowl when serving for creaminess. Only needed a tiny sprinkle of salt to my bowl to serve. It’s incredible, and much lower sodium than my favorite Trader Joe’s variety.
I sent my husband to get groceries for me and told him to get 5lbs of tomatoes. He’s come back with 20 Roma tomatoes and they are definitely medium sized not small. Confused about how this worked out to 8 or 9 tomatoes for you. Don’t want my proportions to be off
Hi,I made this soup today ,24 tomatoes to quarter & de seed ,9red peppers , that’s fun the colour is amazing and the taste,wow nice crusty bread everybody asked for seconds.
Lovely recipe. I added Creme fraiche to serve. Will be making this again.
This link has been saved in my phone for years as Roasted Red Pepper tortilla soup and today I was disappointed the tortilla soup is now a completely different recipe with the tomatoes – –
Where is the original. ?
Hi Erica, I emailed you a pdf of the original.
This is hands down, my favorite soup recipe. I’ve made it too many times to count. It’s simple enough for a weeknight meal, yet fancy enough to serve company. Sometimes I add more garlic or more cayenne, but the recipe is perfect as is too. I can’t thank you enough.
Great soup that requires very little effort! In Italy, we traditionally add small pasta (‘pastina’) directly in the soup for the last few minutes. This time I made homemade croutons dicing slices of my sourdough bread mixed with French herbs and olive oil and roasted in the oven. Marriage made in heaven!