Smoky Roasted Red Pepper and Gouda Soup
This smoky roasted red pepper and gouda soup is the ultimate comfort food! It's vegetarian and packed with flavor, plus it has protein thanks to a secret ingredient - tofu!
Servings 6
Calories 239kcal
Ingredients
For soup:
- 3 red bell peppers
- 1 tbsp olive oil (+ additional 1-2 tsp for roasting peppers)
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 15 oz can of fire-roasted tomatoes
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 12.3 oz Mori-Nu Silken Tofu Organic Firm (one package)
- ½ cup half and half
- 2 cups freshly shredded smoked gouda cheese (do not pack into measuring cup – this should be a little less than a full 7-ounce block)
For garlic croutons:
- 9- inch piece of French baguette, chopped into crouton-size chunks
- 3 tbsp butter, melted
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
Instructions
To roast your peppers:
- Turn your oven broiler on high.
- Slice your red peppers in half and place them cut side down on a baking sheet. Rub just a small amount of olive oil over the tops of each pepper half (about 1-2 tsp total).
- Place the baking sheet on the top rack of the oven so that the peppers are relatively close to the heating element (do not place them so that they are at risk of touching the heating element as that is a fire risk). Roast the peppers this way for 10-15 minutes, until they are charred and tender. You may want to shift your pan around once or twice to ensure the peppers cook evenly.
- Remove the peppers from the oven and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Peel off the skin, chop the peppers, and then they’re ready to use in your soup!
To make the soup:
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add celery, carrot, and onion. Sauté for about 4-5 minutes, until vegetables start to soften.
- Add garlic and cook for another minute. Add your chopped roasted red peppers, can of fire roasted tomatoes, salt, pepper, and vegetable stock.
- Stir in the silken tofu. When you add it to the pot, just stir it and break it apart with your cooking spoon.
- Simmer everything for 15 minutes. If you’re planning to make garlic croutons, do so now (see instructions below).
- Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to puree everything. Return to low heat and stir in half and half and gouda cheese. When everything is well combined, remove from heat again and your soup is ready. Serve with garlic croutons (optional)!
To make the garlic croutons (optional)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine melted butter with garlic in a bowl. Toss chopped baguette in the butter mixture and then spread on a baking sheet. Bake for approximately 10 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.
Notes
Notes:
- The oven broil method works best for a gas stove, as the flame helps give that lovely roasted char on the peppers. If you have an electric oven, you may need to experiment with the times and distance from the heating element. As an alternative to the broiling method, you can roast the peppers in a 450 degree oven for 25-40 minutes, until they achieve the same char.
- An immersion blender does a great job of getting this soup relatively smooth. However, if you would like it as smooth as possible, you’ll probably want to use a high-quality standard blender instead.
Nutrition
Calories: 239kcal