Roasted Sweet Pepper Soup

I created this roasted sweet pepper soup because I’m obsessed with how cherry tomatoes with the roasted sweet peppers taste when combined with smoked paprika.  These savory flavors create a satisfying pepper soup recipe. This soup isn’t hot in spicy level – I would rate this as mild, however for those who are extremely sensitive to heat – skip the smoked paprika and add 1/4 tsp of nutmeg on the vegetables for roasting. – Kara, The Accidental Chef

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 1/2 cups of mini sweet bell peppers (not regular bell peppers, these are smaller in size and sweeter in taste), seeded (take out the seeds) and halved
• 1 tbsp of  avocado oil
• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• 1/4 tsp of black pepper
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 tsp of smoked paprika
• 3 cups of low sodium vegetable broth
• 1 14.5 oz cans of diced tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp of garlic salt
• 1/2 of a medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup of chopped fresh basil

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Place the cherry tomatoes halves and bell pepper halves on the sheet skins facing down. Sprinkle them with a 1/2 tsp of smoked paprika, then sprinkle them with black pepper, basil spice, and a dash of garlic salt and a drizzle of avocado oil.  Roast them for around 20 mins or until the bottoms of the vegetables have blackened.

Turn the stove to a medium heat and place a large pot on top. Once hot, drizzle 1 tablespoon of regular olive oil and add the garlic and onion. Sauté for 2 minutes.

Add the roasted tomatoes and peppers, vegetable broth, canned tomatoes, 1/2 tsp of garlic salt, 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper, 1 tsp of smoked paprika and the 3 tablespoons of basil.

Bring the soup to a boil, then turn down to a low simmer. Partially cover the pot and allow it to simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the soup is nice and hot and the liquid has reduced a bit.

With a food processor, blend up the soup to your desired consistency and serve.

Serves: 6 | Calories per serving: 137 | Fat: 4.9 g | Carbs: 19.7 g | Net Carbs: 14.9 g | Protein: 2.4 g