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Roasted Red Pepper Soup

This roasted red pepper soup is quick, easy, and satisfying, with quinoa added for a boost of protein. You’ll love the subtle sweet, smoky flavor of the peppers in this soup!

This roasted red pepper soup is one of my favorites, because it checks all the boxes that I look for in a soup. It’s comforting, rich, filling, healthy, and super easy to make. Plus, it's vegan and gluten-free!

Soup is often served as a side, but this roasted red pepper soup is a meal all by itself. The secret? It has quinoa in it! Adding a protein like quinoa to a soup full of veggies makes for a well-rounded meal. Add in the fact that it only takes about an hour to make this soup from start to finish, and it’s not hard to see why this is one of my favorite recipes.

Spoonful of roasted red pepper soup in bowl

Why You’ll Love This Roasted Red Pepper Soup Recipe

  • Layers of flavor. Roasting the peppers first intensifies their natural sweetness and adds a smoky element that makes this red pepper soup extra delicious. Don’t be afraid to really let those peppers blacken—that’s what makes them so flavorful!
  • A boost of protein. A lot of pureed veggie soups leave you wanting more, but this red pepper soup has quinoa added to it, making it much more substantive. This is a soup that eats like a meal!
  • Easy to make. Some soups need a long simmer on the stovetop to develop their flavor, but roasting the peppers first allows us to bypass this step—which means your soup is on the table ready to eat faster! Prep time for this red pepper soup is also minimal, which is a bonus after a long day of work.
Overhead view of ingredients for roasted red pepper soup

What You’ll Need

Here’s everything you need to make this comforting red pepper and tomato soup. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the article to see the exact quantities for each ingredient. 

  • Red peppers – Red bell peppers are naturally sweet; while yellow and orange peppers have a similar flavor, they’re not quite as pretty in this soup!
  • Tomatoes – I use fresh tomatoes, but you can substitute a 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes when they’re not in season.
  • Tomato sauce – This intensifies the tomato flavor in the soup.
  • White onion – You can also use yellow or red onions, but a white onion is preferable. 
  • Garlic – You can add more for an extra garlicky red pepper soup.
  • Olive oil – Or another oil you like to use for cooking.
  • Salt and pepper – Be sure to use freshly-ground black pepper.
  • Seasonings – Dried thyme, oregano, and red pepper flakes.
  • Vegetable broth – If you’re not vegetarian, you can use chicken broth.
  • Cooked quinoa – Here’s how to cook quinoa.
  • Hot sauce – Optional, for a bit of a kick. 

What’s the Easiest Way to Cut Bell Peppers?

Cut the top and bottom off the pepper. Stand the pepper on the cutting board, then cut a slit in it vertically. Open up the pepper from the slit and place it flat on the cutting board. Run a knife along the inside to remove the core (with the seeds) and the ribs.

How To Make Roasted Red Pepper Soup 

  • Prep the peppers. Place the red peppers on a baking sheet, skin-side up. Press them down to flatten them, and turn on your broiler. 
  • Roast the peppers. Broil the peppers until the skins are blackened. This should take 10-15 minutes, although it depends on your broiler—keep a close eye on them.
  • Peel the peppers. Remove the peppers from the oven, and place them in a heat-proof resealable bag. Let them sit for 15 minutes, then remove them from the bag and peel off the skin. Slice the peppers and set them aside.
  • Heat the aromatics. Heat the oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Stir the onions and garlic into the pot, and sauté until the onions are translucent. 
  • Add the rest of the ingredients. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, red peppers, vegetable broth, cooked quinoa, herbs, and spices to the pot.
  • Cook. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot, and cook for 20-25 minutes. 
  • Blend. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup into a smooth consistency. If you don’t have an immersion blender, transfer the soup to a standing blender, and blend. 
  • Serve. If you’re using hot sauce, stir it into the soup, then serve while hot.
Dutch oven with ladle and roasted red pepper soup

Tips For Success

  • Use homemade broth. One way to elevate any soup is to use a homemade broth. The flavor you get from homemade stock is so much better than anything you’ll buy in the store. This recipe is great with any kind of vegetable broth, but it reaches a new level with homemade broth. I like to use my Instant Pot mushroom vegan bone broth
  • Add extra cooking time. One of my favorite things about this recipe is how quick and easy it is to make. But if you have extra time, almost any soup can benefit from simmering a little bit longer. The longer you cook this soup, the more intense the flavors will become. If you have the time, cook it for an hour or two. However, keep an eye on the consistency, as you may need to add a little more veggie broth if you cook it longer.
  • Salt at the end. When adding the ingredients to the soup, go light on the salt. Then, before serving, taste the soup and add salt as needed. Different veggie broths and hot sauces have different sodium levels, and the amount of time that you cook the soup will impact how salty it is. Wait until the very end to add the rest of the salt, to make sure that you don’t over-salt the soup.
Two bowls of roasted red pepper soup with jar of croutons

Garnish Ideas

One of the things I love about veggie soups like this roasted red pepper soup is that you can add all kinds of toppings to make them your own! Here are some of my favorite ideas:

What To Serve With Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Round out your meal by serving red pepper soup with: 

Bowl of roasted red pepper soup garnished with coconut milk, herbs, and toasted bread

How To Store And Reheat Leftovers

This soup will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days if stored in an airtight container. Reheat on the stove over medium heat until warm all the way through, about 5 minutes. You can also microwave the soup on 80% power in 30-second increments. 

Can This Recipe Be Frozen? 

This roasted red pepper soup is a great recipe to freeze. Store it in an airtight container and it will last for up to 4 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, or defrost before reheating.

Bowl of roasted red pepper soup with spoon and toasted bread

More Cozy Soups to Make

 

Roasted Red Pepper Soup With Tomatoes and Quinoa

4.3 from 33 votes
This easy and nutritious roasted red pepper soup is packed with fresh vegetables and quinoa. It only takes about an hour to make, and it's cozy, hearty, and super flavorful.
author: Alyssa
yield: 4 servings
Bowl of roasted red pepper soup garnished with coconut milk, herbs, and bread
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 50 minutes
Total: 1 hour

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Turn on broiler and flatten the seeded peppers, skin side up, on a cookie sheet.
  • Roast for about 10 – 15 minutes, until the skins are blackened. Remove from the oven and immediately place the peppers in a resealable bag. After 15 minutes, remove the peppers and rub off the skin. Slice into 1” pieces and set aside.
  • Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté until the onions are translucent. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, red peppers, vegetable broth, quinoa, herbs and spices. Bring the soup to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Cover and cook for 20 – 25 minutes.
  • Remove soup from the heat and blend with an immersion blender or in a high-speed blender (in two batches), until smooth. Stir in hot sauce if desired.
  • Serve immediately and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days, or in the freezer for 4 months. Reheat over medium heat for 5 minutes, or in the microwave on 80% power in 30-second increments. 

Nutrition

Calories: 157kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 622mg | Potassium: 399mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 2474IU | Vitamin C: 88mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 2mg
cuisine: American
course: Soup

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45 comments on “Roasted Red Pepper Soup”

  1. This is my new fav soup!! It is just lovely! I did not have a fresh tomato, so used a can of no salt added fire roasted tomatoes.
    Topped my soup with vegan feta and my oh my!
    Thank you for sharing this creation!

  2. Lovely little soup. Very easy. I didn’t have a tomato so I subbed a can of no salt added, fire roasted tomatoes. Perfection!!

  3. Just made this soup and it has turned out delicious. I had to make a few adjustments- I used one red and one green pepper, I used dried quinoa instead of cooked and I also threw in lots of cherry tomatoes as had these left over in fridge and they were starting to soften. I didn’t have tinned tomoato sauce so used a tin of chopped tomatoes instead. The soup turned out perfec and can’t wait to make again! Oh one last thing I didn’t peel the peppers….

  4. Love your new web design, all of your videos and recipes but sweetie, please don’t tell people to put hot food in a plastic bag as you did with the red peppers. I accomplish the same thing by using a glass bowl and a tea towel. No nano-micro-plastics in my food.

  5. Hi this soup looks great. Wondering if anyone has had good results freezing it? Would be nice to have a good supply on hand.

  6. Avatar photo
    Shirley Fenstermaker

    So who makes a soup from scratch in the beginning of summer? I did!!! This soup is sooo good. I didn’t blend it completely because I like a little chunk in my soup but it was good. I’m not a pepper (spice person) so I would probably back off the red pepper a bit. Thanks for the recipe. I am looking for to adding this to my winter meals.

  7. I finally made this soup. Delicious. However…Instead of fresh tomatoes, I used a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes. I hadn’t noticed that the can also contained medium green chilies until it was too late. So I drained and rinsed the diced tomatoes and opted not to add any red pepper flakes as I am not a fan of hot and spicy. The soup has a little kick from the chilies so I added fresh lime juice. Will definitely make again but without the added chilies. ????

  8. Excited to try this recipe! I’m curious if there’s any reason not to increase the liquid and cook the quinoa in the step 3 rather than using already cooked quinoa? I’m also thinking of using canned tomatoes, do you know about how much canned I would use for your 2 tomato equivalent? Trying to save myself any extra steps I can! Thanks for this recipe!

    1. Yeah you can absolutely do that! I had leftover quinoa which is why I added it in. And I’d say 1 15 oz can should work 🙂

  9. Really tasty soup, made it last night. I didn’t roast the peppers exactly as per intrusions and omitted the quinoa, but it was so tasty!! Thank you!

  10. Avatar photo
    Sarah | Well and Full

    Whoa! I think it’s super cool that you blend in the quinoa to the soup. I am going to have to give this method a try…

  11. Avatar photo
    Inci @ Bella's Apron

    love tomato soup, and love quinoa but never have I had this combo. I am excited to give this a try this weekend

  12. Made this and it was absolutely delicious! I highly recommend it! I halved the recipe, and only had half a red pepper and half a yellow pepper from a previous night, so I used those. It still came out nice, red, and tasty.

  13. Is it possible to get this recipe? I bought all the ingredients for it and the link for the recipe is no longer available. 🙁

  14. I found this recipe on pinterest and made it today. It was pretty easy and is spicy and delicious! I didn’t even add the milk and I’m not going to because I like it just the way it is. My soup turned out much lighter than your dark-red soup picture but it’s still fantastic! Thanks!

    1. So happy it worked out for you Marianne 🙂 I also love the spice factor! I was just thinking about this soup yesterday. I think I need to make it again!

    1. Hi Kelly!

      So glad you like the sounds of the soup 🙂 It’s actually being featured on the Easy Eats blog, so if you follow the link at the end of the post, it will take you directly to the recipe.

      Would love to know if you try it!

      xo Alyssa

  15. I don’t like tomato soup, or red pepper at ALL, but had both in the house and made this. It was SO good, I’m going to make it again today. I’m blown away. Thanks 🙂

  16. I absolutely love soup myself. They’re easy, they’re filling, they’re comforting and they can be really beautiful. Like yours! It’s so vibrant and I like that you used quinoa as it adds a little nutritional backbone 😉
    -Jessica

  17. I LOVE roasted red pepper soup, but I’ve never tried it with quinoa– just checked out the post on easy eats and it looks so good! I love a new way to try something I’ve done before 🙂

  18. I made a roasted red pepper humus last month and am now wondering if I should try quinoa instead of chick peas……
    Im making soup today too!

  19. Avatar photo
    Beth @ TastyYummies

    This soup looks amazing and I am with you, I can’t get enough soup once fall hits. I have been dreaming of lots of different soup concoctions already. Off to check out that recipe now.

    1. Soup is the best! Can’t wait to start making chilis and stews. Still a bit too warm – this was my bridge between summer and fall 🙂