Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Soup is a rich and flavourful soup. Made with juicy roasted red peppers, red pepper flakes for a hint of heat and finished with cream to make this a very tasty and comforting soup. Serve it with some delicious Feta Toast for a tasty lunch.
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I make a lot of soups, and I have some firm favourites, like my roasted tomato soup recipe or my creamy cauliflower and broccoli soup. But this red pepper soup recipe has to be one of my absolute favorite soups. It's such a comforting soup great for when the weather turns chilly. And it's really easy to make which is a bonus!
This roasted red bell pepper soup has a lovely smooth and creamy texture and has such a lovely rich flavor. Roasting the peppers adds a nice hint of sweetness to this soup and the chilli adds a little bit of heat which makes this a super flavorful soup. We love this soup with feta toast but you could also serve it with a grilled cheese sandwich or just cheese sandwiches.
🛒 What You'll Need
- Red Peppers - I use fresh red peppers for this recipe and roast them myself, however, you could use store-bought roasted red peppers are perfect for this. If you use store-bought roasted peppers, look out for flame-roasted peppers these will have more flavour. You should find these in all good supermarkets.
- Carrots - 3 medium carrots will do the job here, make sure they are nice and fresh. You can swap this for a regular onion if you prefer.
- Onion - I like the flavour of red onions in this soup, they are milder when cooked so don't overpower the red peppers. You can, of course, use a yellow/white onion if you prefer.
- Chilli Flakes - This is a staple ingredient in my cupboard, I use it for lots of recipes. You can find this in the spice/herb section of your grocery store. If you can't find any then about a teaspoon of freshly chopped red jalapeño will work well too.
- Fresh Herbs - I find that fresh thyme is best for this recipe. I also add thyme to the feta toast so you will need a few sprigs.
- Vegetable Stock - I make my stock using two vegetable stock cubes.
- Cream - Single cream is added to this soup at the end to get that creamy texture. You could use double or heavy cream if you prefer.
- Bread - Day-old sourdough bread is perfect for making the feta toast. You can use any good crusty bread, the type you cut yourself is best though, so you can cut it nice and thick.
- Feta - Look for a good quality Greek feta.
- Other Ingredients - You will also need, garlic, celery, olive oil, salt and black pepper.
🔪 How to Make Roasted Red Pepper Soup
This is just a quick visual guide. Please see the recipe card below for full instructions and an ingredient list.
1. Start by roasting the peppers. Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Cut the peppers into quarters and remove the stems, seeds and any white piths. Place the peppers on a large baking sheet. Drizzle a little olive oil over the peppers the season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast until the peppers are slightly charred and turn them over halfway through cooking. Once cooked remove them from the oven, add the hot peppers into a bowl, cover with cling film and leave to cool. Once cold, the skins will easily come off the peppers. Once peeled roughly chop them.
2. While the peppers are cooking start cooking the base for your soup. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Add the chopped onion, celery and carrots and cook over medium heat until soft so about 20 minutes should do the trick.
3. Once the vegetables are softened and the peppers are roasted add them to the saucepan.
4. Pour in the stock, add the thyme, salt and pepper, bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Blend the soup using a hand-held blender or immersion blender. Once the soup is smooth add the cream to the soup and stir well. Serve immediately.
🍞 How to Make Feta Toast
- Slice the bread into thickish pieces, and toast one side under the grill. Turn over the bread then drizzle a little olive and toast under the grill until lightly golden.
- Rub each piece of bread with garlic then add crumble the feta over the toast. Using a fork, crush the feta into the bread. Top with some fresh thyme then place the toast back under the grill until the feta is warm and golden.
👩🍳 Top Tips
- Make sure and cook the onion, celery and carrot until soft, it needs at least 20 minutes.
- Blend the soup, this soup really is best blended until smooth. I use a handheld blender but you could also use a regular blender or food processor just be careful pouring the hot soup into the blender.
- I like this soup spicy, however, if you would prefer it to be milder, reduce the amount of chilli pepper to a scant pinch.
- Day-old sourdough bread is perfect for the feta toast, make sure and slice it thickly and toast both sides under the grill.
FAQs
I find that removing the skin gives the soup a smoother texture. You can leave the skin on though if you want.
No, but you can easily make it gluten-free. Just make sure you use a gluten-free stock or vegetable broth that is gluten-free.
Just leave it to cool completely then transfer to freezer-friendly bags or an airtight container. Make sure to squeeze out any air from the bags but leave room for expansion. The soup can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat the soup let the soup defrost overnight in the fridge then reheat on the hob until piping hot. This soup will keep in the fridge for 3 days. The feta toast is not suitable for freezing.
🥣 More Tasty Soup Recipes
Here are some more of our favourite easy soup recipes!
- Spiced Carrot and Lentil Soup - This is one of the most popular soup recipes on the blog, it's guaranteed to wake up your taste buds it's so full of flavour!
- Autumn Squash Soup - Another great soup for soup season, this soup is also great for Thanksgiving!
- Irish Vegetable Soup - Perfect for winter months this creamy vegetable soup is a great way to use up any veggies hanging around the fridge.
🍲 Evan More Great Soup Recipes
Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Feta Toast
Ingredients
For the Roasted Red Pepper Soup
- 3 tablespoon olive oil divided
- 1 medium red onion (160g) finely chopped
- 1 stalk of celery finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic minced or put through a garlic press
- ¼ teaspoon dried red chili flakes
- 3 medium carrots (250g) peeled and chopped
- 3 large red bell peppers cut into quarters, stem, seeds and pith removed.
- 900 ml vegetable stock (3¾ cups ) made with two vegetable stock cubes
- 3 or 4 sprigs of fresh thyme the leaves picked from the stem, plus more for serving
- 150 ml / ½ a cup of single cream (light cream)
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the Feta Toast
- 4 thick slices of sourdough bread
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 100 g feta (¾ of a cup of crumbled feta)
- ½ tablespoon thyme leaves
Instructions
To Make The Soup
- Start by roasting the peppers. Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Cut the peppers into quarters and remove the stems, seeds and any white piths. Place the peppers on a large baking sheet. Drizzle a little olive oil over the peppers the season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast until the peppers are slightly charred and turn them over halfway through cooking. Once cooked remove them from the oven, add the hot peppers into a bowl, cover with cling film and leave to cool. Once cooled peel them then roughly chop them.
- While the peppers are cooking start cooking the base for your soup. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Add the chopped onion, celery and carrots and cook over medium heat until soft, for about 20 minutes.
- Once the vegetables are softened and the peppers are roasted add them to the saucepan. Pour in the stock, add the thyme, salt and pepper, bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Blend the soup using a hand-held blender or immersion blender. Once the soup is smooth add the cream to the soup and stir well. Serve immediately.
To Make the Feta Toast
- Toast one side of the bread under the grill until golden.Turn over the bread then drizzle a little olive oil over it and toast under a grill for until lightly golden.Then rub a garlic clove over the bread. Add the feta and smash it roughly over the bread with a fork. Add some thyme leaves and place under the grill for another 3 or 4 minutes or until the cheese starts to melt a little and is golden in places.Serve with the soup.
- Serve the soup topped with some extra thyme leaves, freshly ground black pepper and a little crumbled feta if you like.
Notes
- Storage - Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge and should be used with 2 days.
- Nutritional Information - All nutritional information shared is an estimate based on third-party calculations. If calorie count and/or nutritional values are important to you, we recommend putting the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary depending on which brands were used. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.
- Weights and measurements - For US readers, I use Cuisipro measuring cups and spoons, and a Pyrex measuring jug for liquids. These are the industry standard. Cup/spoon volumes can differ from brand to brand, for accuracy, I recommend weighing all ingredients if possible for the best results.
Nutrition
*This recipe was first published on Feb 16, 2016, and updated in August 2023 with new photos, nutritional information, and expert tips.
Janet Trench
Made this for lunch today, lovely soup with a bit of a kick. Improvised a bit as added a little bit of tomato purée and threw crumbled feta into the soup rather than make the toast. I have been instructed to make it again.
Michelle Alston
Hi Janet, thank you, I'm so glad you liked it. I love adding feta to it if I'm not making the toast! Will definitely try your tip of adding tomato puree next time I make it 😉
kim
Love this recipe! It was super easy and had so much delicious flavor! Will definitely make again!
Michelle Alston
Thanks so much Kim, I'm so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry
This soup is perfect for winter, it looks delicious! I love the look of that feta toast too!
Michelle Alston
Thanks so much Bintu 🙂
Jill
That's a beautiful bowl of soup. I'd definitely like to dunk a slice of that feta toast into it!
Michelle Alston
Thank you so much Jill 🙂
SAfira Adam
This is my kind off recipe. I LOVE the idea of the feta toast with the soup. I can just imagine the way it would melt into the soup. YUM
Emmeline
Love these pictures!! And the soup sounds so amazing - not to mention the feta toast....
Michelle Alston
Thanks so much Emmeline x
Raymund
This sure is a tasty soup enough to make you warm on a cold weather and to match it with feta toast ----superb combo!
Carol Borchardt
This looks and sounds absolutely delicious! I could also see this chilled for a good, refreshing summertime soup!
Michelle Alston
Thanks so much Carol! I'm loving that idea, I've not tried it chilled but will definitely test it.
Ahu
I've always eaten feta and toast but never thought to broil it... lightbulb! I am totally trying this next time. Beautiful recipe! 🙂
Michelle Alston
I know, I was the same Ahu! It's definitely worth trying 😉
Adam Warren
While the weather is still pretty cold this soup sounds like a recipe I've just got to try! Thank you for posting!
Michelle Alston
Glad you like it Adam 🙂