A delicious blend of roasted red peppers, fresh tomatoes, briny olives, garlic and shallots make an easy, delicious and healthy soup. Roast all of the veggies on a sheet pan, then puree until silky smooth.
The recipe and blog post for Roasted Red Pepper, Tomato and Olive Soup was made in partnership with California Ripe Olives! I am a true olive enthusiast and my opinions are genuine. I deeply appreciate your continued support!
If you’re a big fan of soups like I am, this will quickly become your favorite tomato soup recipe. The roasting process really brings out the natural sweetness in the peppers and fresh tomatoes, but what makes this soup really unique is the addition of roasted green olives. Roasting the olives mellows out the sharp flavor and they become soft, salty, buttery and add so much flavor!
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Why I love California Ripe Olives
Did you know that 95% of all olives produced in the United States are California grown? When you’re in the grocery store, check for California or USA origin on the can. California is the only state in the U.S. that produces ripe olives for canning and hundreds of farmers and their families work each year to bring California Ripe Olives from their farms to your table.
This recipe was inspired by California Farmer & Farmworker month. October is an abundant time to recognize the contributions of the dedicated people that work tirelessly to provide us with the food that is the foundation of our health and well-being.
Why you will love this recipe
- The olives add interesting depth of delicious flavor.
- This soup freezes beautifully making it a great way to prep and store late summer tomatoes to enjoy in the winter months.
- It still pairs perfectly with a grilled cheese sandwich – just a fun, elevated twist on one of your favorite comfort foods.
Ingredients
- Fresh Tomatoes – use whatever is ripe and ready. A mix of heirloom or vine on tomatoes with cherry tomatoes is preferred.
- Red Bell Peppers
- Green Olives
- Shallots
- Garlic – a whole head of garlic.
- Fresh Herbs – a few sprigs of fresh thyme for roasting with the veggies and fresh basil leaves for garnish.
- Seasonings – dried oregano, smoked paprika and black pepper.
- Vegetable Broth – low sodium works best with the salty olives. Chicken broth will also work if that’s what you have on hand.
- Olive Oil
Method
Start by prepping all of the veggies. Slice the large tomatoes into thick rounds, cut the bell peppers into eights and peel and slice the shallots in half. Leave the cherry tomatoes whole. Cut the top third off of the head of garlic, exposing the cloves.
Add the veggies and green olives to a large baking sheet and place the head of garlic cut side up. Nestle the sprigs of fresh thyme under a slice of tomato so they don’t burn. Drizzle everything generously with olive oil and then flip the garlic over so it’s cut side down on the sheet pan.
Roast the veggies at 425 degrees f for 40 minutes. Everything will be soft and the skins of the tomatoes and peppers will have slightly charred skins. When the veggies are cool enough to handle, remove as much skin as possible from the peppers and tomatoes, squeeze the head softened roasted garlic to release the cloves and fish out the sprigs of thyme.
Add the roasted vegetables to a heavy bottom pot on the stove top over medium heat. Add in the dried oregano, smoked paprika and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the heat and use an immersion blender to puree until super smooth.
Taste and season with salt and black pepper. Serve garnished with fresh basil and a drizzle of olive oil or toppings of your choice.
Storing leftovers
Leftover soup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Tomato and red pepper soup can also be frozen in a freezer safe container for 3-4 months.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. When the soup is mostly cooled, transfer it to a high-speed blender to puree. Never blend hot soup as the heat causes pressure and it can result in a dangerous explosion.
Yes. This recipe will also work with an equal amount of canned, fire-roasted tomatoes. No need to roast canned tomatoes. Simply add them to the pot after you roast the rest of the veggies.
Once you’re done with the cooking process and taste the soup, it may be a little acidic depending on the sweetness of your tomatoes. Don’t panic, this is very common and easily fixable! To cut acidity in tomato soup, simply add a small pinch of baking soda or a little bit of sugar to taste.
Serving suggestions
- Serve it with ooey gooey grilled cheese sandwiches for the ultimate comfort food combo.
- Make a creamy soup by swirling in a little heavy cream to each bowl. Or you can keep it vegan and use full-fat coconut milk.
- Top it with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese, feta cheese and homemade croutons or crusty bread.
- Homemade tomato soup is the perfect accompaniment for your favorite sandwich or salad. Try it with this Baby Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette.
More recipes inspired by California Grown Goods
Roasted Red Pepper, Tomato and Olive Soup
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh tomatoes a mix of heirloom or vine-on and cherry tomatoes.
- 2 large red bell peppers
- ½ cup California green olives
- 3 shallots
- 1 head garlic
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- ¾ cup vegetable broth
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 4 tablespoons California Olive Oil
- salt and black pepper to taste
- fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees f.
- Cut large tomatoes into thick slices, medium tomatoes into wedges and leave cherry tomatoes whole.
- Cut bell peppers into eighths, peel shallots and cut in half.
- Cut the top ⅓ off a head of garlic, exposing all of the cloves.
- Add tomatoes, peppers, shallots and green olives to a sheet pan. Place the garlic bulb on the pan with the cloves facing up and tuck the thyme sprigs under a slice of tomato so they don't burn.
- Drizzle everything with olive oil and then flip the garlic bulb cut side down on the sheet pan.
- Roast veggies for 40 minutes. When they are cool enough to handle, peel away as much of the skin as possible from the peppers and tomatoes. Squeeze the softened head of garlic to release the cloves and remove the stems from the thyme.
- Add roasted veggies to a pot on the stove top over medium heat and add dried oregano, smoked paprika and vegetable broth. Bring to a simmer, turn the heat down to low, cover and cook for 8-10 minutes.
- Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until very smooth. Taste and season with black pepper and more salt if necessary. Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and torn fresh basil leaves.
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