Cooking for Students Tomato Red Pepper Sauce Soup

Tomato Red Pepper Sauce Soup

Posted on June 9, 2015 by Cooking for Students

Soup is an all-time favorite because of the comfort factor. Nothing says comfort more than a hot bowl of soup. The problem with most soups is that a lengthy process is involved. You have to prep then cook it over low heat for hours. When you have classes to go to, papers to write, work and a social life to maintain spending two hours on a pot of soup is unrealistic. Fortunately this tomato and red pepper soup takes 35 minutes. It is a fun and refreshing play on traditional tomato soup. This soup has a lot of depth and tastes great with a grilled cheese sandwich.

What’s in it?

  • 2 red bell peppers, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 28 oz. can peeled plum tomatoes
  • 1 medium yellow or white onion, chopped
  • 1 ½ cups reduced sodium vegetable and chicken broth
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • Pinch of dried basil
  • Vegetable oil
  • Salt, to taste
  • Pepper, to taste

*Makes 6 servings

How’s it made?

  1. Add a tablespoon of vegetable oil to the bottom of a large pot.
  2. Heat over medium high and add the red bell peppers along with the onions.
  3. Cook for 7-10 minutes while stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
  4. Add the minced garlic followed by the tomato paste. Stir constantly as the paste melts down.
  5. Pour in the vegetable broth along with the tomatoes and the canning juices. Use a spoon to break up the tomatoes.
  6. Add the heavy cream and butter. Stir until the butter melts.
  7. Stir in the sugar, paprika and basil.
  8. Season with salt and pepper.
  9. Bring to a boil.
  10. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes so all the flavors can come together.
  11. Remove from the heat, adjust seasonings as needed and serve.

There are so many ways to enjoy this soup. As previously said you can make a grilled cheese sandwich by melting some butter in a hot skillet and placing a slice of cheese in the center of two pieces of bread and cooking until both sides are golden brown or you can eat the soup with crackers or croutons. Crusty bread that has been rubbed with garlic and toasted in the oven is also a nice accoutrement. No matter what you choose, make sure to serve this soup hot. That is when the flavor is at its peak.