Roasted Pepper and Tomato Soup

What does fall remind me of? Warm soups, cozy slippers, pumpkins, stews, ciders, leaves falling.... you know all those buzz words, but my absolute favorite thing to eat in the fall is soup. Soup, Soup, Soup. All Day every Day... You know how in my last post I shared my love of tacos.... well if I had to pick between my love of soup and tacos... oh gosh... it would seriously be a toss up because I just love soup and everything that comes with it. It's a comfort thing for me. 

As soon as we get that first chilly day, the soup pot hits the stove... Its all over.... My husband is stuck with my soup craze once again... Sorry Jack... Please still love me through my soup craziness... Don't worry, it'll only last through the fall, well, and maybe into the winter... LOL Jack just doesn't share this soup passion like I do... He's more of a give me meat and potatoes type of guy, which it totally fine, so I try and limit when I make soup a little bit, or make when he's working. 

Well, for this first soup, it came out absolutely amazing and it was the perfect fix on a cold day and I had enough meal prepped for a few days. 

Roasted Pepper and Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

2 lbs Roma Tomatoes

2 white onions quartered

2 red bell peppers

2 tbs olive oil

8 oz Fresh Basil

6-7 cloves Garlic minced

Red pepper flakes to taste (optional)

Salt to taste

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup toasted pecans

2 tsp olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  

For your Tomatoes, Onions, and Garlic: If using larger tomatoes, cut them into fourths.  

Place the tomatoes and onions on a large rimmed baking sheet (or divide into two smaller baking sheets if too close together).  Toss with olive oil and salt and spread out evenly. 

Place garlic cloves on a piece of tin foil and drizzle with a little bit of oil.  Wrap the garlic up tightly so that the cloves are laying flat.  Place the garlic on the baking sheet.  

Roast everything for 20-22 minutes, flipping halfway through. Everything should be tender and the tomatoes will have released their juices. 

For the red peppers:  While the tomatoes are roasting, this is when we roast the peppers. If you're doing this inside, turn on a fan because it gets a little Smokey sometimes. I like to use my cast iron skillets. 

You want to char your bell peppers on all sides. Once the peppers are charred, place them in a large mixing bowl.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow the steam to help loosen the skin. (About 5 minutes).

Use a paper towel to peel off most of the blackened skin from the red pepper.  Make sure to leave behind some of the char as it adds that smoky flavor.  I like leaving a lot of the char on for some extra smokiness, but its all up to what your preference is. 

Cut the bell pepper removing seeds and core. 

BLEND:

Once the tomatoes are roasted and have cooled slightly, add all the ingredients to the blender except pecans and remaining olive oil. Blend until smooth. 

Taste your soup and pour soup into a saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes to bring out all those seasonings added to soup in blender. 

Add soup to bowl, top with pecans and spoon a drizzle of olive oil over the top of pecans for taste. 

I served my soup with Gluten Free Dairy Free Grilled Cheese, but you can serve yours with whatever you choose. My absolute favorite thing with soup is a good grilled cheese, so I decided to make a gluten free one. It was delicious.