Description
A vibrant and comforting roasted red pepper soup, enhanced with fragrant spices and served with crispy homemade wholemeal croutons and a dollop of natural yogurt. This soup is perfect for a cozy meal, combining sweet roasted peppers with warming harissa and cumin flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
Soup Ingredients
- 2 red onions, roughly chopped
- 2 carrots (250g), roughly chopped
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 200g jarred roasted red peppers (drained weight), drained and roughly chopped
- 1 tsp rose harissa paste
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder (or any other chilli powder)
- 850ml low-salt vegetable stock
- 4 tbsp natural yogurt, to serve
Croutons Ingredients
- 100g slightly stale wholemeal crusty bread, cut into cubes
- 1 tsp olive oil
Instructions
- Prepare the Vegetables: Blitz the onions and carrots together in a food processor until finely chopped, or finely chop by hand. Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan) or gas mark 6 if making croutons.
- Sauté Vegetables: Heat 1 tsp of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the chopped onions and carrots with a pinch of salt for 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently, until they start to soften.
- Add Aromatics and Peppers: Stir in the garlic and roasted red peppers. Cook for an additional 1 minute until fragrant.
- Incorporate Spices: Add the rose harissa paste, cumin seeds, and Kashmiri chilli powder. Cook for 1 minute more, stirring continuously to release the spices’ aromas.
- Add Stock and Simmer: Pour in the low-salt vegetable stock and increase the heat to medium-high. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15-18 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
- Prepare Croutons: Meanwhile, toss the cubed wholemeal bread with 1 tsp olive oil and season well. Spread the bread cubes onto a baking tray and bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes until deeply golden and crisp.
- Blend the Soup: Transfer the cooked vegetable mixture to a high-powered blender or use a hand blender directly in the pot. Blend until smooth and creamy. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls. Top each serving with a spoonful of natural yogurt and scatter over the crispy croutons if desired.
Notes
- The croutons add a lovely crunchy texture but can be omitted for a smoother soup.
- Adjust the amount of chilli powder according to your spice preference.
- Use low-salt vegetable stock to control sodium content.
- For a vegan version, omit the natural yogurt or substitute with a plant-based yogurt.
- Leftover soup can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keywords: roasted red pepper soup, spicy soup, healthy soup, homemade croutons, vegetable soup, harissa soup, cumin, easy soup recipe
