Creamy tomato and roasted red pepper soup

January is the month for soup. On these dark, cold days there’s nothing more enjoyable than snuggling up with a warming bowl of soup and lovely toasted bread. It’s something you can look forward to, and if you follow me on Instagram, you know just how much soup I eat over these chilly winter months.

Tomato soup to me is my childhood. There’s something about simple, creamy tomato soup that evokes young, carefree, playful days past. Growing up it was my ultimate comfort food – especially when served with a gooey grilled cheese sandwich.

To bring back some of that old feeling, I decided to try recreating it, but a “grown up” version using smoky red peppers. The result was a really simple, but vibrant tomato soup that’s incredibly easy to make (and much tastier than the canned stuff – if I do say so myself!).

Here is my recipe for vegan creamy tomato and roasted red pepper soup.

Ingredients

• 2 cans chopped tomatoes
• 1 jar roasted red peppers in water*
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
• 1 stick of celery, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon vegetable or nut oil
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 400ml vegetable stock
• 1/3 cup plain vegan yogurt
• Pepper to taste
• Fresh basil for serving

Directions

1. Heat the oil over a medium heat and add the onion, celery and carrot with a pinch of salt, stirring often. Cook until the onion is translucent and the veggies start to turn golden, around 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Then add the tomato paste and stir until the veggies are evenly coated.
2. Add the tomatoes, roasted red peppers (including the liquid), 300ml of the vegetable stock, salt and basil and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until all the veggies are soft, around 15-20 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat and blitz with a hand-held blender until smooth. Add the yogurt and stir well so everything is mixed together. If the soup is a bit thick, add the remaining vegetable stock. Adjust seasoning for taste.
4. Top with freshly torn basil and black pepper – enjoy!

*You can also roast your own peppers if you prefer – simply put them on a gas hob until completely black, wrap up tight for 15 minutes and then peel the black skin off the peppers. Make sure you discard the seeds and stem before adding to the soup.