I love making this colorful roasted red pepper soup on cold winter days. With simple steps and nourishing flavor, it's a weeknight go-to.
This roasted red pepper soup recipe is light and nourishing, yet creamy and delicious – just the thing if you ate too many cookies this weekend. Plus, I think the red pepper soup and green herbs look so festive! If you haven’t gotten around to decorating a tree this year (or if you’re tired of decorating cookies), you can decorate your soup! 🙂
Roasted Red Pepper Soup Recipe Ingredients
Because red bell peppers aren’t in season, I use jarred roasted red peppers, which are a super convenient pantry ingredient. If you’re making this soup in the summer or fall, though, go ahead and roast your own! Fresh carrots, fennel, and thyme round out the tangy flavor of the peppers. Cannellini beans add creaminess to the soup without heavy cream or nuts, and balsamic vinegar rounds out the rich flavor.
This roasted red pepper soup recipe is an old favorite – it’s on page 203 of our first cookbook which (shameless plug!) makes a great gift. I made just a few tweaks to the original recipe, which are listed below. As a contrast to the smooth texture of this soup, I added chopped roasted red peppers and extra herbs. It’s a small detail, but the chunky diced peppers give it a nice texture – a few croutons or roasted chickpeas on top would be a fun addition too, for crunch!
How to Make Roasted Red Pepper Soup
This roasted red pepper soup recipe is super simple. To start, sauté the onion, fennel, garlic, carrots & thyme until they soften. Then, add broth, the peppers, a splash of balsamic, and the cannellini beans, and simmer for 20 minutes or so, to allow the flavors to develop and the carrots to become fully tender. You’re ready to blend!
This is what the soup looks like before you blend it:
Give it a whirl, then, voila… you have creamy orange-red Christmas soup (or soup for whatever holiday you celebrate).
Serving Suggestions
Like most soups, you can make this one ahead and keep it in the fridge for a few days – the flavors just get better and better. It also freezes well, so make it ahead of time and pack it up for weekday lunches! (See this post for more make-ahead lunch ideas & tips!)
If you’re serving this soup as part of a larger meal, try pairing it with crusty bread, homemade focaccia, or a cozy pasta. Any of these would be great choices:
- Herb & Garlic Mushroom Pasta
- Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Kale
- Butternut Squash, Walnut & Sage Pasta
- Orecchiette Pasta with Broccoli & Kale
- Homemade Mac and Cheese
- Vegan Mac and Cheese
It’d also be great with a grilled cheese sandwich or a hearty salad like this kale salad or this roasted beet salad.
More Favorite Soup Recipes
If you love this roasted red pepper soup, try one of these healthy soup recipes next:
- Many-Veggie Vegetable Soup
- Best Lentil Soup
- Butternut Squash Soup
- Easy Vegetarian Chili
- French Onion Soup
- Or any of these 25 Best Soup Recipes!
Roasted Red Pepper Soup
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 small fennel bulb, coarsely chopped
- 3 medium carrots, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 3 jarred roasted red bell peppers
- 1/4 cup cooked cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
For Serving (all optional):
- 1 jarred roasted red pepper, diced
- Finely chopped parsley
- Pinches of red pepper flakes
- Microgreens
- Warm baguette
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and pinches of salt and pepper and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, fennel, carrots, and thyme leaves. Stir and cook until the carrots begin to soften, about 10 minutes.
- Add the balsamic vinegar, red peppers, beans, tomato paste, broth, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Simmer until the carrots are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Add the simmered soup to a high-speed blender with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and puree until smooth. Season with more salt and pepper, to taste. If you would like more punch, add a few more drops of balsamic, to taste. If you would like a little heat, add 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes.
- Serve with generous drizzles of olive oil, desired garnishes, and warm baguette.
Whoa! This was extraordinary soup. I used additional peppers and beans + added fresh tomatoes, and fresh oregano and parsley. I was a bit skeptical as I have never used anise or balsamic vinegar–I used white balsamic–in a soup, but it turned out to be amazingly flavorful. I served it with more olive oil + a squirt of Meyer lemon–maybe some creme fraiche next time.. I used an immersion blender–quick and easy. I will make this again and again. Thank you for a terrific recipe.
Hi Meri, I’m so glad you loved the soup! Your tweaks sound delicious.
is it 3 jars of roasted red peppers, or like… 3 pieces of roasted red pepper from one jar? I’m just a little confused 🙁 They’re usually cut into strips so I’m not sure what would equal 1 whole red pepper.
I have the same question!
Can you comment on using canned cannellini beans instead of the cooked dried beans as described in the link as a time saver? Thank you.
Hi Bryan, you can absolutely use canned beans here!