Tomato and Roasted Red/Orange/Yellow Pepper Soup

This was a soup born out of two separate needs: a) I desperately needed to use up some vegetables in the fridge TODAY and b) I really needed dinner to be hands off so I could attend to the towering pile of dishes that always seems to greet me by mid afternoon.

Tomato and Roasted Red/Orange/Yellow Pepper Soup

Ingredient List:

1 Parsnip, cut into chunks

2 Carrots, cut into chunks

Bag of Sweet Peppers (about 8 or 9)

4-5 Tomatos, quartered

1 Garlic Clove, top cut off

2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

Pinch of Salt, Pepper and Thyme

Toss vegetables in oil and sprinkle with herbs and seasonings. Roast for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

1/2 Yellow Onion, large dice

2 cans (14 ounces) diced tomatoes

3-4 cups of water

A small squeeze of tomato paste

Salt and Pepper to taste

I started by chucking the whole lot of expiring veg onto a cookie sheet and roasting them in the oven for about an hour. I started it at 350 and bumped it up to 400 for the last 15 minutes or so. My advice is just keep an eye on it. Roasting vegetables can be finicky business.

Not quite knowing what this experiment was going to be yet, I browned some large chunks of onion in a heavy pot, and threw in the roasted garlic after a couple minutes. I then dumped the entire pan of vegetables into the pot, stirring it for just a few seconds before adding 2 cans of diced tomatoes with their juice. I then stirred the whole thing up, and let my immersion blender do the work of blending everything super smooth. From here you could go a couple different routes. I chose to make soup by adding 3 or 4 cups of water to the mixture until it was the right thinness. You could however cook up a quick pot of noodles and ladle a spoonful of sauce over it for some super tasty spaghetti. I like a lot of basil in my homemade sauces because I think it gives it that extra special flavor... and having neither fresh nor dried on hand I decided to go the soup route.

Regardless what route you decide to take, I think you'll find this dinner to be extra rewarding due to it giving you the time to wipe up the counters and set the dishwasher into motion while it roasts and simmers away.

Enjoy!
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