Roasted Red Pepper Soup With Pesto Croutons
Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Buffy Hargett
If you serve the soup cold, stir in an extra 1/4 teaspoon salt.
How to Make It
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350°. Spread pesto on 1 side of each bread slice. Cut each bread slice into 1/2- to 1-inch cubes. Place bread cubes in a single layer on a lightly greased aluminum foil-lined jelly-roll pan.
Step 2
Bake at 350° for 16 to 20 minutes or until golden, turning once after 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool.
Step 3
Melt butter with oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add garlic and shallot, and cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add tomato paste, and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Stir in bell peppers and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool 10 minutes.
Step 4
Process red pepper mixture, in batches, in a blender or food processor 8 to 10 seconds until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides. Return red pepper mixture to Dutch oven; stir in half-and-half and parsley, and cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Step 5
Ladle soup into 6 bowls; top with croutons. Garnish, if desired.
You May Like
Kathowens's Review
Takes time to prepare, but it is worth the effort. Would make it on special occasions
boilerdi's Review
I added on lg can of tomato puree and it became one of my favorite soups ever!!! We love it at our house with a grilled provolone and mozzerella sandwhich
klklein's Review
Not a thick/creamy soup. Needs some added spice/hotness and some sugar to sweeten it up, otherwise pretty bland.
sjbrouse's Review
I made this the way the recipe stated plus two chipotle peppers (from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce but omitted the sauce) to spice it up, & it tasted horrible. Not edible..bitter. Then, I added some diced tomatoes & made it worse -- more bitter & acidic. Then, I added 2 cans of store bought tomato soup & some whipping cream, a tsbp of sugar, and that mellowed it out enough where I could eat it. Everyone I served it to loved it--good amount of spice --jazzy tomato soup, essentially. It was still a little 'zingy' for me. It has potential, but 'as is' it is not very good. I've been asked to make it again, so I must have fixed it in a good way...they would not be asking for it again if it was made as the recipe states. It was really fast & easy to make, though...the reason I'm trying to perfect it.
Gherardinis's Review