Rustic tomato and pepper soup

 

It's that time of year again where nothing beats a warm bowl of soup! This recipe uses fresh tomatoes and peppers to make a healthy yet comforting soup that's perfect for autumn lunches. It's also packed with herbs for flavour.

Once all the veggies are cooked, the soup needs blending. How much you blend it is up to you; I like mine to still have some texture but no big lumps. If you want it to be extra smooth, remove the tomato skins and pips before roasting the veg.

This took around 30 minutes to make, and made 3 servings.

Ingredients

• 450g large tomatoes, quartered
• 250g sweet peppers (I used 2 romano peppers + 1 yellow bell pepper)
• 1 vegetable stock cube (make sure it doesnt contain milk!)
• 1 tbsp basil infused olive oil (but any oil will work!)
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tsp garlic granules
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• Salt, to taste

Method

1. Cut the veg into large pieces and place on a baking tray. Drizzle over the oil and sprinkle the spices and mix. Roast them in the oven at 180°C for 15-25 minutes until the veg is soft.
2. Add the now roasted veggies to a large saucepan. Make up 500ml of stock using the stock cube, and add to the pan. Simmer gently for around 10 minutes until the veggies become even softer and the broth starts to look 'soupy'.
3. Stir in the tomato puree, and then take off the heat until it's cooled slightly.
4. Making sure the soup isn't too hot, blend with a hand blender until it's at your desired consistency.
5. Serve, ideally with oat cream and fresh basil! It also goes amazingly with freshly baked bread.