Easy Red Pepper and Tomato Soup
This creamy, easy red pepper soup and tomato soup is secretly simple to make, yields super tasty, restaurant-worth results. Plus it’s ready in under 30 minutes!
About this Recipe
This is one of those under 30-minute recipes that I always keep in my backpocket on busy weeks!
Especially since it’s secretly a very easy soup recipe to make, yet looks & tastes super impressive (like your favorite restaurant soup!).
To me, there’s nothing better than tucking into a warming bowl of comforting soup, especially when it’s packed with vegetables, like this pumpkin and sweet potato soup, this red pepper butternut squash soup, and this hearty vegetable soup.
Especially in the colder months, a warming winter soup is just the thing!
All you need to make this easy vegetarian soup are a few simple pantry ingredients.
Think sweet and smokey roasted red peppers, combined with canned fire-roasted tomatoes, aromatic garlic, onions, and smoked paprika to create a rich and velvety soup base.
And adding the cream and a touch of sugar at the end balances the brightness and natural acidity of the tomatoes & red peppers so beautifully without making it heavy (trust me, it’ll have everyone running back for seconds!).
If you want to make a dairy-free and vegan, version, though, be sure to check out my modification notes, below.
Tip: I love the ease and convenience of using jarred roasted red peppers for this easy soup recipe. But if you have homemade roasted peppers on hand, you can substitute 3 medium for the16-ounce jar of roasted red peppers.
Process & Tips
I’ve designed this to be a simple one pot recipe, which means clean-up is a total breeze!
Since we’re leaning on pantry ingredients like jarred roasted red peppers, canned diced tomatoes & tomato paste, stock and common spices, the prep time goes by in a flash.
Start by briefly sautéing your onions in olive oil and butter (yum!), before adding your fresh garlic, smoked paprika and tomato paste to cook and caramelize as well.
Then add your roasted red peppers, diced tomatoes, stock, water and a little salt, before covering and bringing to a simmer.
Once all the veggies are nice and tender, you’ll blend your soup to get that perfect, smooth texture before stirring in a touch of cream & sugar – and just like that you’ll have a restaurant-quality, homemade soup ready for dinner!
Tip: The sautéing step only takes a few extra minutes but it’s SO worth it to coax as much extra flavor out of your ingredients as possible, without a lot of extra effort on your part.
Serving Suggestions
This roasted red pepper and tomato soup already makes a great, hearty, vegetarian meal all on its own but feel free to get creative with any toppings and sides you like!
Top with crumbled goat cheese, red pepper flakes, buttery croutons, a drizzle of olive oil, or chopped fresh parsley for added flavor and texture.
This soup is also particularly good when paired with grilled cheese – made traditionally or with a plant-based, dairy-free cheese – or some simple crusty French bread for dipping.
You can even serve it with an easy side salad with an easy salad dressing recipe for a fun soup & salad night-in!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Roasted red peppers: Jarred roasted red peppers are a great shortcut ingredient. They have tons of flavor but save you time by not having to roast them yourself first. If you want to use homemade roasted peppers instead, you can substitute 3 medium for the16-ounce jar.
Want more uses for that jar of roasted reds? You’ll love this easy and nourishing roasted red pepper butternut squash soup.
Fire-roasted diced tomatoes: Canned fire-roasted diced tomatoes are a pantry staple for me, they’re so convenient and add so much flavor without any extra prep steps besides opening the can, but regular diced tomatoes will work, too.
Tomato paste: Tomato paste is a super convenient pantry staple and adds great concentrated tomato flavor to this soup without watering it down. I would not recommend skipping it.
Chicken stock: I used low-sodium chicken stock for this recipe. But be sure to use vegetable stock for a vegetarian version of this soup.
Yellow onion: The onions are a delicious savory addition to this soup. The quick sauteing step adds an extra depth of flavor that’s totally worth the few extra minutes.
Garlic cloves: Since we’re using so few fresh ingredients, I like using fresh garlic cloves in this recipe, but you could also use granulated garlic powder in its place.
Smoked paprika: The smoked paprika adds (you guessed it) some smokey flavor to this soup. If you don’t have it, regular paprika can also be used.
Butter: You can use traditional butter, or for a dairy-free and vegan version, use a plant-based butter.
Heavy cream: I used traditional heavy cream in this recipe but you could also substitute an equal amount of unsweetened non-dairy creamer for a delicious dairy-free and vegan option.
Brown sugar: I find that the little bit of brown sugar added at the end really helps to balance out all the other flavors in the soup, but if you want to make an entirely refined sugar-free recipe, you could omit it. Or use coconut sugar for a refined sugar free option.
Olive oil: I like the flavor of olive oil in this recipe but you could also use another cooking oil in its place, such as avocado, coconut, canola or vegetable oil.
Kosher salt: Look for kosher salt with the regular iodized salt at the grocery store (it has a subtler flavor). Use less iodized salt if that’s what you have on hand.
Tip: For dairy-free and vegan, be sure to use an unsweetened non-dairy creamer in place of the heavy cream and a plant-based dairy-free butter in place of traditional butter.
Storage & Freezing Tips
This red pepper and tomato soup tastes even better the next day, and leftovers make a great lunch!
It keeps well in the fridge for up to 3-4 days, in a sealed container.
This soup also freezes beautifully, either in a gallon ziploc bag, or individually in mason jars.
You can store it in a sealed freezer friendly container for up to 2-3 months.
Easy Red Pepper and Tomato Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
- 1 (16-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained and roughly chopped
- 2 (15-ounce) cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 quart vegetable stock, or chicken stock (if not vegetarian)
- 1 cup water
To Add at the End
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
Optional Serving Suggestions
- Crumbled goat cheese, chopped fresh parsley, red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the butter, olive oil, onion, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook until the onions begin to soften, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the garlic and paprika. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- Add the roasted red peppers, diced tomatoes, stock, water, and remaining 1¼ teaspoon salt, stirring to combine.
- Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Uncover and turn off the heat. Using an immersion blender, carefully blend until smooth. Alternatively, working in batches, ladle carefully ladle into a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Add the cream and sugar, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Taste and add additional salt if desired.
- Top with goat cheese, parsley, and red chili flakes, if using.
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Heat a medium pan over medium heat. Add the butter, olive oil, onion, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook until the onions begin to soften, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the garlic and paprika. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Turn off the heat, and add a splash of water to deglaze the pan.
- Add the onion-tomato paste mixture, along with the roasted red peppers, diced tomatoes, stock, water, and remaining 1¼ teaspoon salt to a 6-quart slow cooker, stirring to combine.
- Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 4-5 hours.
- Uncover and turn off the heat. Using an immersion blender, carefully blend until smooth. Alternatively, working in batches, ladle carefully ladle into a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Add the cream and sugar, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Taste and add additional salt if desired.
- Top with goat cheese, parsley, and red chili flakes, if using.
So easy to make! Loving that the roasted pepper add a lot of flavor and take away some of the tomato’s acidity. This is my new go to soup recipe.
Maria, so happy to hear you enjoyed this one! Thank you so much for leaving a review, I so appreciate it!
So easy to make! Loving that the roasted peppers add a lot of flavor and take away some of the tomato’s acidity. This is my new go to soup recipe.