Charred Tomato + Bell Pepper Soup
Ingredients
5 large tomatoes
1 handful cherry tomatoes- (or use 2 extra tomatoes if you can’t find cherry tomatoes)
2 onions
2 red capsicum
5 sprigs of thyme
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Serves
2-4
“The monsoons are finally here with their gloomy skies and chilly winds and there’s nothing better than cosying up with a good book and a hot bowl of soup in this weather! This soup is full of fibre, vitamin C and healthy fats.
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The key to this deep-flavoured soup is not to boil the vegetables but roast them. Roast them in the oven until nicely caramelised, a little charred even, and then blend them up with their roasting juices.
What to do:
Preheat your oven to 180°C.
Wash all the vegetables. Cut the large tomatoes into quarters.
Slice the onions and cut open the red peppers, remove the stalk, seeds and white pith inside, and roughly chop into slices.
Place all chopped vegetables and the cherry tomatoes in a baking tray and mix in the thyme, salt, pepper, garlic and olive oil.
Place the vegetables in the oven for 25 minutes until the tomatoes and peppers char slightly- meaning there are some brown sections- and the onions caramelise into a golden brown colour.
Once your times beeps, check the veggies. Stir them to mix everything up and roast for a further 20 minutes.
Once they look lovely and caramelised (see photo below for what we mean by this) allow them to cool down. Remove any tough stalks of thyme, and then blend using a hand blender until smooth or tip the vegetables into a mixie, seal the lid carefully and pulse until smooth. Add a splash of water if it is too thick- but this is supposed to hearty. Check salt and adjust to taste.
When you want to serve, heat gently over a low-medium heat until piping hot but not boiling. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with some extra thyme leaves and a drizzle of olive oil and crack of black pepper. Serve with slices of toasted wholegrain sourdough bread - or tear them into small squares and throw into the bowl to have some rough croutons.
Meal Prep Tip: As part of your meal prep, you could double these quantities to make a big batch and freeze in single portions. When you’re tired after a long day of work, you can thaw it, heat it up and you have a comforting bowl of soup ready without any hassle! This soup can also be served cold if you want a gazpacho- just add a tbsp of apple cider vinegar and stir through.
