Roasted Red Pepper Soup

It's my go-to for batch cooking these days during busy weeks.

I fell in love with this recipe when it passed through my FB feed a few weeks ago. Watched the reel about 10 times to get the ingredients and method. I may eat it til I'm sick of it. I whipped up a pot just a few days ago, portioned it into empty Bon Maman jam jars, and put it in the fridge. I started with seven jars and am down to three. Pretty much have been having it for breakfast (with a handful of blueberries), lunch (with a green salad), and dinner (also with a salad or an occasional protein, with or without salad). 

The main adaptation I made to the soup is to finely chop some walnuts in the food processor to sprinkle on top. I don't do it all the time, but it's fabulous when I do. My son thought it would be great with some grated cheese on top. I don't eat dairy these days, but if you do, you can try it. His suggestion was my inspiration to try it with walnuts. 

I substituted a Yukon gold potato for the beans, for creaminess, since I don't eat beans. There is often a workaround for an ingredient that doesn't work for you. If you're vegetarian, you can use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.

The recipe couldn't be easier. It's also economical. I pop into the produce market up the street and bring home a bag of veg, pull some homemade chicken stock from the freezer, and I'm all set to cook. The hardest part is cleaning and prepping the veg, and that's not really hard or time-consuming at all. 

Here are the ingredients and the method:  

In a roasting pan, add these base vegetables - 

2 medium Vidalia or yellow onions, 2 carrots, 4 red peppers, a pint of cherry tomatoes.

Quarter everything except for the tomatoes.

For creaminess, add a Yukon gold potato (cut into 8 pieces) or a can (14 1/2 oz) of cannelloni beans (drained).

To season, add garlic cloves to taste (I usually use 6 fat garlic cloves), 1 tsp - 1TBS dried oregano, 1 tsp - 1 TBS sweet paprika, a sprig of fresh rosemary, a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme, 1-2 bay leaves, salt and pepper (about a teaspoon of each). 

Pour olive oil over the top and stir. I eyeball this. I like to coat the veg. Maybe 1/4-1/2 cup. Don't be stingy. Don't overdo it. 

Roast in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. 

Remove the bay leaves, rosemary, and thyme. Discard. Pour the contents of the roasting pan, including all the pan juices and oil, into a pot and add 32 ounces of chicken stock/broth. Puree with a hand blender. Salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy. 

Note - Sometimes ovens cook differently. Make sure the carrots are not hard before removing everything to the pot and blending. The first time I made this, I had to cook the carrots in the broth for about 10 minutes (before adding everything else and blending) because I'd bought some really fat carrots and did not cut them into smaller pieces. If your carrots are a monstrous size, cut the quarters into half lengthwise before roasting. Also, if you've got that kind of carrot, use one instead of two. Sometimes I cut the veg into smaller pieces to roast. You'll find what works for you.

I haven't yet frozen this soup because it is so good that I eat it before it goes off, but it might freeze well. Try it if you make a batch and it does not go with lightning speed.

The Green Wilderness is a daily writing practice that opens a landscape of discovery into my own human experience. 

Katherine Cartwright has been blogging since 2012, and each year brings new wonders. She asks big questions of the small things in life.