To Soup, To Sauce, or Tomato?

This recipe is one of my absolute favorites all year-round: Tomato Bell Pepper Soup. I have loved incorporating different ways to use tomatoes into my diet since becoming vegetarian 2 years ago. One thing I’ve noticed is that vegan recipes can often miss the mark on comfort food so I wanted to make a soup that is filling, flavorful and full of healthy ingredients. It’s a really hearty soup and could even be used as a nice sauce for some pasta!

Ingredients:

• 1.5 - 2 cups of medium tomatoes on the vine

• handful of cherry or grape tomatoes

• 2 large red bell peppers

• 1/3 cup olive oil

• 1/4 cup rice vinegar

• Spices: onion powder, garlic powder, dried basil, dried oregano, sea salt, black pepper

• Optional: nutritional yeast, vegan cheese (topping), fresh basil (topping), or a grilled cheese on the side!

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400° F. Start by taking the tomatoes and cutting them in half and then scored but not through the outer skin (like shown above). This allows the juices of the tomato to really soak up the heat and cook down to make a really smooth soup. Place them on a nonstick cookie sheet with a rim (there will be a lot of juice from the tomatoes that comes out while cooking). Cut your bell peppers in quarters after removing the seeds and place on another nonstick baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil on both baking sheets and sprinkle sea salt and black pepper. Bake for 40 minutes.

Once you take the baking sheets out of the oven, set them aside for 5-10 minutes to cool down. Slowly and carefully add your veggies to a blender or food processor. Be sure to add any of the oil or juices from the baking sheets as well. Blend until smooth and add to a medium pot on low-medium heat. Once you’ve blended all of the veggies, start adding the rice vinegar and your spices to taste. I personally love a lot of onion powder, garlic powder, basil, a little oregano and some nutritional yeast to get that cheesy flavor. Heat until warm and enjoy!