This roasted red pepper sippable soup recipe is best in late summer when bright red and yellow peppers hit the market, although we would happily eat it year-round.
We love serving this before a meal, topped with sourdough croutons, olive oil, and herbs. However we designed it to be conveniently sippable just like our bone broth is on its own. Enjoy this soup in a to-go mug while on the subway, at your desk, or even on a walk.
As with most of our recipes, this one is highly flexible. You can use garbanzo beans or any light-colored bean, use yellow or orange peppers instead of red, or add different herbs based on what you have around. In fact, this recipe is based on Marco Canora’s Yellow Pepper Soup recipe from Salt to Taste but we upped the protein with beans instead of potato and Brodo instead of water. This soup is so delicious that you might want to make a double batch and freeze any extra or eat it for lunch throughout the week.
You may be tempted to skip the straining step. You will still have a delicious soup with lots of fiber (albeit with a few loose pepper skins), but we beg you to at least try straining it once. The silky smooth texture will take your soup from “home cook” to “chef” level.
Serves 3 to 4
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Extra virgin olive oil (plus more if desired)
- 1/2 Onion, minced
- 1 Carrot, minced
- 1 Stalk celery, minced
- 3-4 Red and/or yellow peppers, cored, seeded, and quartered
- 3 cups. Cooked cannellini beans or any thin-skilled light-colored beans
- 1 Bay leaf
- 3+ cups Brodo (we prefer Organic Chicken or Signature Hearth)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Small bunch of oregano, tied in a bundle
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Toss the red peppers in olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and roast for about 10 minutes, or until just starting to blacken on the edges.
- Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large pot. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and fry, stirring frequently, until the soffritto vegetables soften and color slightly, about 7-8 minutes.
- Add the peppers to the pot and cook, stirring to coat them thoroughly with soffrito. Cook the peppers until they soften a little, 3 minutes or so, then add the beans and stir to mix the vegetables and beans together.
- Add the bay leaves and Brodo. If the liquid doesn’t cover the vegetables by 1 inch, add more Brodo (or water) until they’re sufficiently covered. Season with salt and pepper and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for about 15 minutes (it’s ok if the beans get mushy).
- Bruise the oregano by crushing it with the flat side of a knife and then add it to the pot. Continue to simmer the soup until the peppers are completely soft, about 10 minutes more.
- Remove the oregano and bay leaves. Puree the soup in batches in a blender or food processor, incorporating ¼ cup more olive oil for additional richness, if desired.
- Run the soup through a fine mesh strainer, using the bottom of a ladle to stir and push it through (optional but recommended).
- Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, thin with water or Brodo if necessary, and add optional toppings such as croutons, thyme, parsley, etc.
