Continuing on with a theme here, simplicity in highlighting tomatoes, we are going to approach tomato soup from a slightly different angle. We are going to make it dairy free!! Yes you heard me right no bovine creations are harmed in the making of this soup. It will still be silky, smooth, and teeming with flavor. It is still completely comforting and grilled cheese worthy!

This is Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup that will have you drinking from the bowl. I use a simple trick to maximize the flavor from all of the ingredients in the dish. We halve and roast them all, to the oven you go! By roasting the veggies, we concentrate the sugars inside them. The results are worth the extra effort.

We also add the rosemary in the dish on the tail end of cooking, leaving it whole. This will lightly infuse the soup with rosemary flavor. I find chopping the rosemary imparts too much rosemary oil into the final results. Rosemary gets really strong, really easily so tread lightly.

Let’s get this soup ship sailing!

Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup

6 Roma Tomatoes, hulled and cut in half

1 Yellow Onion, cut in half and sliced in ½ inch slices

2 Red Bell Peppers, cored, seeded, and cut in half

3 cloves of Garlic, peeled and crushed

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

4 Cups Chicken or Vegetable Stock

1 Sprig of Rosemary

Kosher Salt and Pepper

Procedure:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Prepare a half sheet pan with parchment.
2. Place the prepared vegetables on to the parchment cut side down. Drizzle with olive oil and season. Bake the vegetables for approx. 20-30 minutes. Or until the skin is just beginning to blister and the onions have begun to caramelize.
3. Remove the vegetables from the oven and place them into a blender along with all the juices on the pan.
4. Pour in the 4 cups of chicken/ vegetable stock. Puree the mixture until it is completely smooth and everything is amalgamated.

1. Pour the mixture into a soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
2. Add the sprig of rosemary. Simmer the mixture approx. 30 minutes, or until it changes in hue and thickens. Stir regularly to prevent the soup from scorching.
3. Check seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper.
4. To serve, garnish with a small sprig of rosemary and serve with bread sticks.

** If the consistency is slightly off, place mixture back in the blender and puree a bit longer. Remove the plastic piece in the lid and cover the opening with a folded kitchen towel.  This will prevent steam from building and causing a soup explosion.