Creamy Red Pepper Soup

Creamy Red Pepper Soup is a fave of The Husband's. I haven't made it in awhile, so I decided to bring it back recently, and now it is also a fave of The Son's. Yay!

The soup is made with pantry staples such as jars of roasted red peppers, broth, potatoes, onion and garlic. It is pureed into silky smoothness and topped with homemade croutons which are so amazingly yum. You also could stir in a dollop of mascarpone or goat cheese, but honestly I usually just go with the croutons, and a sprinkle of black pepper. 

I only use a pinch of sugar as opposed to an entire tablespoon. I also use just one medium onion instead of two. You can use dried thyme if you do not have fresh. I like to chop my veg before I get started: Onions, carrots and garlic. Potato is added which helps the creaminess factor of the soup. The fact that there is no whipping cream involved is astounding. The soup is soooooo smooth and delish.

This is great to make on a grilled cheese night, or if you want a warm starter before din.

The soup also can be frozen if you do not finish it all.

Here's the recipe!

Creamy Red Pepper Soup

By Giada DeLaurentiis

(Makes 8 servings)

4 Tbsp. olive oil

2 onions, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme leaves

2 (12-ounce) jars roasted red bell peppers preserved in water, drained

1 russet potato, peeled and coarsely chopped

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 Tbsp. sugar

Salt and freshly ground pepper

16 (3/4-inch thick) baguette slices, cut into 1/2 to 3/4-inch cubes

1/2 cup mascarpone cheese

Heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, garlic and thyme and saute until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the broth, bell peppers, potato, wine and sugar. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Decrease the heat to medium-low. Partially cover and simmer until the potatoes are very tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Cool the soup slightly.

Using an immersion hand blender, puree the soup in the pot until it is smooth. Alternately, working in batches, puree the soup in a regular blender, taking care while blending warm liquids. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 Tbsp. oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the bread cubes and saute until they are crisp and golden, about 8 minutes.

Ladle the soup into bowls. Dollop a tablespoon of mascarpone in the center or each bowl and toup with croutons. Sprinkle with pepper and serve.

Please note: The Jersey Girl uses 1 onion, a pinch of sugar and omits the mascarpone cheese. She also seasons the veggies as they saute with a pinch of salt and fresh black pepper.

Stuffed Pepper Soup with a Healthy Twist

This Stuffed Pepper Soup with Ground Chicken and Farro has all of your fav tastes from stuffed peppers, but it is prepped and cooked in half the time!

I use farro - an ancient grain packed with protein and fiber - instead of rice in this pot of yumminess. You can of course use rice, if you choose! 

I top my bowl of awesome soup with fresh herbs - basil and parsley, and a sprinkle of mozzarella. Parm would be fab, too. A drizzle of olive oil is also a must!

You can of course use ground beef or turkey, but I made my version with ground chicken. In essence, I just wanted a healthier and quicker way to make a stuffed pepper!

Enjoy!

Stuffed Pepper Soup with Ground Chicken and Farro

Makes 8 servings

1 lb. ground chicken

1 onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 28 ounce can, diced tomatoes

1 15 ounce can tomato sauce

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup water

1 chicken bouillon cube

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup farro, uncooked

Fresh basil and/or fresh parsley, minced 

Shredded mozzarella to serve

Drizzle of olive oil, to serve

In a large soup pan, heat up 1 Tbsp. olive oil over medium heat. Add ground chicken. Brown. Remove to a plate. 

In same soup pan, add another Tbsp. of olive oil. Add green peppers, red peppers and onion. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic. Cook another minute or two.

 

Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, water, bouillon cube, Italian seasoning, browned chicken. Bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper. Partially cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small pot bring water to a boil and cook farro according to package instructions. Drain.

Once soup has simmered for 30 minutes, add farro. Heat through for a few minutes.

Stir in parsley and basil.

Serve drizzled with olive oil and topped with shredded mozzarella cheese.

Asparagus Soup

Tis the season for Jersey asparagus. As soon as my fave farmer's market opened on May 1, I snatched up a bundle of spears. I decided to make a simple asparagus soup. OMG. It's amazing. 

I used my "Silver Spoon" cookbook as inspiration. This is a book that is considered to be the "Joy of Cooking" of Italy. It was translated to English in 2005, and it was quite a big deal according to The New York Times and esteemed culinary institutions so I decided to snatch one up right then and there.

Honestly, I don't cook from it very much, but I totally need to! This book is a great reference.

I followed the recipe very closely. I did add about 6 sprigs of fresh thyme tied together with kitchen twine as my thyme is already bumping in my herb garden. And thyme and asparagus are totally homies.

I also used a splash of half and half instead of cream because that's what I have. Finally, I blended the soup with my immersion blender rather than transferring it to a food processor or standard blender. I'm pretty confidant the immersion blender took longer to puree the soup than the processor or standard blender, but it's less cleanup. So, pick your poison. My immersion blender did make the puree crazy smooth. It was a great texture.

This soup reheats nicely the next day. The parboiled asparagus spears really maintain their crispness. 

The ingredient list is sparse and that allows the asparagus to truly shine. I garnished with chopped fresh chives, because like my thyme they are bumping in my garden already! Woo hoo. 

Cream of Asparagus Soup

Serves 4

From "The Silver Spoon" cookbook

1 lb., 5 oz. green asparagus spears, trimmed

1/4 cup butter

1 onion, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

scant 1/2 cup white wine

4 cups vegetable stock

2-3 Tbsp. heavy cream

Salt and pepper

1. Cut off and reserve the asparagus spears and chop the stems. 

2. Melt the butter in a pan, add the onion and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until softened. Add the asparagus stems and cook for a few minutes, then sprinkle with flour, stir well and pour in the wine and stock. Season with salt and pepper and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, for 30 minutes. 

3. Transfer to a food processor and process to a puree. Bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a pan and parboil the asparagus spears for 2 minutes. Pour the puree into a clean pan and reheat. Drain the asparagus spears and add to the soup with cream. Serve in individual soup plates.

Please note: The Jersey Girl added 6 thyme sprigs tied together with kitchen twine while sauteeing the onion and asparagus stems. She removed them before pureeing with her immersion blender. She also used half and half in lieu of heavy cream. She garnished the soup with chopped fresh chives.

Roasted Tomato Soup

Roasted Tomato Soup is amazing with peak season tomatoes, but you can also use this recipe to magically transform your standard grocery store plum tomatoes into something really fabulous.

This recipe makes a biiiiiig batch, but have no fear. You can freeze it so that the next time you want this oh-so-delish soup it's all ready for you.

We serve this soup with grilled cheese panini, natch!

This is always a hit when the weather is chilly willy. It's got wonderful flavor!

Roasted Tomato Soup

Makes 8 servings

For roasting the tomatoes:

2 pounds plum tomatoes, cut in half

3 Tbsp. olive oil, 

1/2 tsp. salt, plus more to taste

1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

For the rest of the soup:

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Pinch of sugar

Pinch of red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1 28 ounce can pureed tomatoes (I like Cento)

1/2 cup white wine

4 cups vegetable or chicken broth

2 cups water

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup 1/2 and 1/2

15 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place cut tomatoes on baking sheet. Drizzle with 3 Tbsp. olive oil, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper. Toss and distribute evenly on baking sheet. Roast for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool slightly.

Pre-roasted tomatoes

Post-roasted tomatoes

In a large soup pan over medium high heat, melt 2 Tbsp. olive oil and 2 Tbsp. butter. Add chopped onion. Saute for five minutes until translucent. Add garlic, red pepper flakes and dried thyme. Cook for a minute. Add can of pureed tomatoes, white wine, broth, water, roasted tomatoes, basil, pinch of sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then simmer partly covered for 45 minutes. 

Remove pot from heat. Cool slightly. Puree with an immersion blender, or transfer soup in batches to a standard blender and puree until smooth. If using a standard blender, you may need to do this in batches. Return pureed soup to soup pot. Check for seasoning. Swirl in 1/2 and 1/2. Garnish with more basil leaves if desired.

Fully cooked soup!

Smooth and silky post immersion blender

With a little swirl of 1/2 and 1/2.

Perfect pairing: Grilled cheese panini