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Sunshine in a Bowl
I love a good bowl of soup for a relaxed weekend lunch, and this roasted red pepper and tomato soup with lentils is packed with the promise of summer. Roasting the vegetables really brings out their sweetness. This is balanced by the slight acidity of the tomatoes. The finished soup has a lovely deep rich orange colour and is full of flavour and antioxidants.
Red lentils are cheap, cook quickly and are delicious. They are ideal to add to soups, adding flavour, texture and protein, turning a bowl of soup into a proper meal. In this recipe, they also make the soup irresistibly creamy without the need to add actual cream!
Roasted red pepper and tomato soup is very quick and easy to make. Red lentils need no preparation and you can cook them while the vegetables roast. Serve it with good fresh bread and enjoy.
I cook for two most of the time, but I love batch cooking, which allows me to eat several times for the effort of cooking once. In this recipe, the oven does all the work for you so it makes sense to make a big pot of soup.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- It is delicious – serve with some good bread (focaccia would be ideal) and it is dinner party worthy!
- It is packed with vegetables – containing 2 towards your 5 a day.
- The soup is perfect for using up slightly soft and wrinkled peppers or tomatoes that are past their best!
- Bright red vegetables like tomatoes and red peppers are packed with healthy antioxidants and other nutrients.
- It is seriously easy as well as largely hands-off – no fine chopping, frying, stirring, or pots to watch! Fuss-free cooking at its finest!
- No special ingredients.
- It is adaptable – see my notes at the end of the post!
- The soup is perfect for batch cooking and can be frozen. Double or triple the recipe with very little extra work.
Ingredients for Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup
- Red Peppers – or yellow or orange. It doesn’t matter if they are past their best and starting to soften or wrinkle.
- Tomatoes – Any with a good flavour, big or small. Again, it doesn’t matter if they are a bit past their best and looking a bit tired.
- Red Lentils – or you could use yellow split peas (adjusting the cooking time) or any canned bean.
- Onion & Garlic – Again it really doesn’t matter – red or white onions, or even shallots. Use what you have.
- Herbs – I’ve used a mix of thyme and oregano – but any Mediterranean/Provençale mix would be ideal.
Not Shown
- Vegetable Broth / Stock – I like the thick jelly type stock pots, but use your favourite.
Why Roast the Vegetables?
Vegetables are mainly water. Roasting them will reduce the amount of water in them, concentrating the flavours. As they lose water, they will also caramelise which adds another layer of delicious flavour. It is also a fantastic way of making use of veggies that are getting a little bit past their best.
You could fry the vegetables instead, but roasting is the easiest, fuss-free, no-hands-on-time-needed way to do this.
As well as concentrating the flavour, roasting also reduces the volume of the veggies. If you have a glut, roast your vegetables, pack into boxes and freeze to use later in the year.
How to Make Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup
First, gather the ingredients.
Step one – First prepare the vegetables ready to be roasted.
- Slice the onion in half, then “top and tail” to remove the stalk and root, and peel off the skin. Chop each half into quarters.
- Cut the tomatoes in half or quarters depending how big there are, removing any stalks.
- Cut the peppers into chunks, discarding the core & seeds, and stalk.
- Peel the garlic, and chop any large cloves in half.
Step two – Spread the onion, tomatoes, peppers and garlic out in a large roasting pan. Add a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper, and drizzle the oil over.
Pro Tip!
You want a good large roasting pan so the vegetables can be spread out in a single layer so they will roast properly and start to brown.
Put the pan in the oven and roast the vegetables at GM 6 / 400°F / 180°C (fan) for 35 minutes, until soft and starting to brown.
Step three – Whilst the vegetables are cooking, put the lentils and the stock into a large pan. Simmer over a low heat for about 20 min until the lentils are soft and mushy.
Step four – Add the roasted vegetables to the cooked lentils. Give that roasting pan a good scrape. You can also deglaze the pan with a splash of water and add that to the rest of the soup.
Step five – Finally, blend your soup with a stick blender (or in the food processor or jug blender) until smooth. Add a little extra stock if needed. Then season to taste. Garnish with seeds and herbs if you like, and serve your roasted red pepper and tomato soup with good bread and butter.
Can I freeze leftover soup?
Yes! Allow to cool and transfer to lidded freezer containers. I find 500 g spread or baking margarine pots hold the perfect quantity for 2 and stack well in the freezer, so it’s well worth saving them (they can be used again and again and stand up to the dishwasher on the top rack).
Defrost overnight in the fridge, or leave on the kitchen counter for a few hours and reheat in a saucepan or microwave.
Hints, Tips & Variations
One of the lovely things about this soup is its beautiful vibrant colour. Some of the ingredient swaps may change the appearance of your soup, but it will still taste great!
- Swap the red lentils for a can of cannellini beans or chickpeas. Drain and rinse well.
- Use yellow or orange peppers instead of the red. This will give you a more golden pepper, tomato and lentil soup. You can use jarred roasted red peppers too, in which case you don’t need to roast them, but do give them a good rinse first..
- No fresh tomatoes? Add a 400 g can of tinned tomatoes and a generous spoonful of tomato puree. If you do this, reduce the volume stock by about a third.
- Mix up the herbs and spices. Roasted red pepper and tomato soup is delicious with a little red chilli or a sprinkling of any warming spice blend over the roasted vegetables.
- Brighten and lighten the soup with a generous squeeze of lemon juice.
More Easy Soup Recipes
- Good soup often starts with a soffritto recipe. Make a big batch, freeze and use every time you make soup.
- Carrot and lentil soup
- Pumpkin and sweet potato soup
- Swede Soup
- Slow cooker vegetable soup
- Butternut squash soup
- More easy soup recipes
Summer Soup Recipes
Good soup deserves good bread. Why not enjoy this one with my quick and easy ’emergency’ yeast-free bread, with this root vegetable loaf or use up that courgette glut along with the tomatoes and peppers in this courgette cluster bread?
Roasted Red Pepper, Tomato & Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 1 onion
- 4 large tomatoes (about 450g / 1 lb)
- 2 red peppers
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
- ½ tsp mixed herbs
- 75 g red lentils
- 500 ml vegetable stock (2 cups)
Instructions
- Peel the onions and roughly chop Peel the garlic and cut any large cloves in half.
- Cut the tomatoes into quarters or halves, depending on size.
- Cut the peppers into chunks, discarding the core, seeds, and stalk.
- Spread the onion, tomatoes, peppers and garlic out in a large roasting pan. Add a generous sprinkling of the dried herbs, salt and pepper, and drizzle the oil over.
- Put the pan in the oven and roast the vegetables at GM 6 / 400°F / 180°C (fan) for 35 minutes until soft and starting to brown.
- While the vegetables are cooking, put the lentils and the stock into a large pan and simmer over a low heat for about 20 minutes, until the lentils are soft and mushy.
- Add the roasted vegetables to the cooked lentils, giving the roasting pan a good scrape. Then blend the soup soup with a stick blender (or in the food processor or blender) until smooth. Add a little extra stock if the soup is too thick. Then season to taste.
- Serve as is, or garnish with seeds and chopped fresh herbs or a swirl of yogurt or cream.
Notes
- Keeps for 3 days in a covered container in the fridge.
- Freezes well - allow to cool, pack into plastic boxes and reheat in a pan or in the microwave.
- Swap the red lentils for a can of cannellini beans or chickpeas. Drain and rinse well.
- Use yellow or orange peppers instead of the red. This will give you a more golden pepper, tomato and lentil soup. You can use jarred roasted red peppers too, in which case you don't need to roast them, but do give them a good rinse first..
- No fresh tomatoes? Add a 400 g can of tinned tomatoes and a generous spoonful of tomato puree. If you do this, reduce the volume stock by about a third.
- Mix up the herbs and spices. Roasted red pepper and tomato soup is delicious with a little red chilli or a sprinkling of any warming spice blend over the roasted vegetables.
- Brighten and lighten the soup with a generous squeeze of lemon juice.
- This recipe is 7 Weight Watchers Smart Points per portion
Update notes:- Roasted red pepper and tomato soup with lentils originally published September 2007. Updated post with new images, step by step instructions and simplified fuss-free method published November 2020.
Peter Duffy
I do love a good warming soup in these colder months, and this is simply one of the best. Amazing flavour and really satisfies.
Becca
Roasting the veggies kicked up such a delicious smell. And then that flavour really came through in the soup. Absolutely delicious.