Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup
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This Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup is a creamy and delicious vegan tomato soup with a bit of a kick from the red pepper. It is a copycat recipe for the Trader Joe’s tomato soup with red pepper!
Cozy up with a bowl of Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup. This roasted red pepper soup is a copycat for the popular Trader Joe’s soup of the same name.
From October to March my favorite recipes to make are soup recipes! So I went to my Instagram and asked for everyone’s favorite soup.
I got many responses and one of the most popular was, “Roasted red pepper and tomato soup from Trader Joe’s!” SO this is my attempt at a homemade Trader Joe’s tomato soup.
I was shocked to see that the first ingredient in the Trader Joe’s soup was milk. I wanted to make my version dairy free so I used some coconut milk to make a vegan tomato soup.
What kitchen tools will I need to make this roasted red pepper soup?
- Large soup pot or dutch oven to cook your soup in
- Immersion blender or standard blender to purée the soup
- Measuring spoons for measuring small ingredients
- Liquid measuring cup for measuring liquid ingredients
- Sharp knife and cutting board for chopping ingredients
Serving Suggestions
Serve this copycat Trader Joe’s tomato soup recipe with grilled cheese sandwiches for the ultimate winter meal. I like to make sourdough grilled cheese and cut it into cubes. Then, I use the cubes like little croutons.
I also like to serve it very traditionally with some fresh basil, a little bit of heavy cream and oyster crackers for crunch.
What ingredients will I need to make this slightly spicy tomato soup?
- Jar of roasted red pepper
- Can of diced tomatoes
- Tomato paste
- Coconut milk
- Olive oil
- Yellow onion
- Cloves of garlic
- Salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika
- Vegetable broth
Ingredient Substitutions
I used coconut milk to keep this recipe dairy free, but you can also use a different non dairy milk like almond or hazelnut creamer. If you enjoy dairy, you can use half and half or heavy cream in place of the coconut milk.
In order to keep this soup vegetarian, I used vegetable broth. You can also use chicken broth or beef broth instead.
I used canned diced tomatoes, but you can also use whole peeled tomatoes like san marzano. Whole peeled tomatoes can sometimes be even more flavorful than diced tomatoes.
Why use roasted red peppers in a jar?
I chose to use roasted red peppers from a jar instead of fresh red bell peppers for this soup for 2 reasons. The first is that it is way easier to use pre-made roasted red peppers.
The main reason that I use jarred roasted red peppers is that they have a deeper flavor since they’ve been jarred and stored. The jarred peppers give it that iconic roasted red pepper soup flavor.
You can use fresh red bell peppers and have the peppers roasted in the oven or on a gas stove top at home.
Let’s make a Trader Joe’s Copycat Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup!
Step 1: Dice and sauté onion and garlic
To begin, dice onion and mince the garlic. Add onion and garlic to the pot with oil over medium-low heat.
Then, cook until soft and fragrant, tossing frequently, about 5 minutes. Add the salt, pepper, cayenne, and smoked paprika to the onions and garlic and sauté for another 2 minute.
Step 2: Add roasted red peppers and tomatoes and simmer
Add the tomato paste to the pot and mix in with the garlic and onions.
Next, drain the liquid from the roasted red peppers and add to the pot along with the diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, and coconut milk. Increase the heat to medium-high until it just starts to boil.
Then, reduce to a simmer and simmer covered for 30 minutes stirring frequently.
Step 3: Blend the soup
Turn off the heat and blend the soup in the pot with an immersion blender. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can pour the simmered soup into a standard blender to blend.
Finally, serve with crackers, croutons or grilled cheese!
How long will this soup keep in the fridge? Can I freeze this red pepper soup?
Once prepared, allow the soup to cool completely before transferring to an airtight container. Then, store in the fridge for up to 7 days.
You can freeze this vegan tomato soup for up to 3 months. Defrost the soup in the fridge and then reheat on the stovetop.
Want to make tomato soup in your instant pot? Try this Instant Pot Tomato Soup Recipe!
Some other copycat soup recipes to try:
- Classic Vegetable Soup (Progresso Copycat)
- Homemade Chickarina Soup (Progresso Copycat)
- Homemade SpaghettiOs with Meatballs
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup
A vegan roasted red pepper and tomato soup!
Ingredients
- 1 small yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/8 tsp cayenne
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 12oz jar roasted red peppers
- 28oz can of diced tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 can coconut milk (13.5oz) (you can use skim milk instead)
Instructions
- Dice onion and mince the garlic
- Add onion and garlic to the pot with oil over medium-low heat
- Cook until soft and fragrant, tossing frequently, about 5 minutes
- Add the salt, pepper, cayenne, and smoked paprika to the onions and garlic and saute for another 2 minutes
- Add the tomato paste to the pot and mix in with the garlic and onions
- Drain the liquid from the roasted red peppers and add to the pot along with the diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, and coconut milk
- Increase the heat to medium-high until it just starts to boil
- Reduce to a simmer and simmer covered for 30 minutes stirring frequently
- Turn off the heat and blend the soup in the pot with an immersion blender – if you don’t have an immersion blender you can pour the simmered soup into a standard blender to blend
- Serve with crackers or tomato soup!
Christine says
So delicious- thank you!!!
★★★★★
Madeline says
wonderful thank you!
Elizabeth S. says
I loosely followed the recipe, since I have to use what I have on hand. I’ve been making raw soup in my Vitamix, but I wanted something less raw, so I undercooked my onion and garlic, set it aside and added some grated carrots (I was short on roasted red pepper) that I cooked in the coconut milk with the herbs (I added onion powder, oregano, and basil instead of paprika and cayenne). I also added some apple cider vinegar, but next time I would add just one teaspoon of that. It came out pretty good. I would use this recipe again. In the Vitamix, all I did was turn it on and let the machine blend and cook.
★★★★★
Madeline says
wonderful!!
Sarah says
My girlfriend recently became vegan so I am always looking for recipes we can both eat – this one is delicious! We didn’t have coconut milk so I used cashew milk, it may have been a bit less creamy, but we loved it!
★★★★★
Madeline says
amazing!! glad you could make something that you both could enjoy!
Kate says
Made a (triple) batch and so happy I did! Plenty to freeze for a few more meals.
★★★★★
Madeline says
yes!! that sound so good! Thanks!
Shannon says
I made this on a whim, when I was snowed in, and I didn’t have any red peppers on hand, but followed the recipe to the letter otherwise. Even without them, it was the best tomato soup I’ve had, and I won’t be making it any other way. Looking forward to making it with the red peppers next time!
★★★★★
Madeline says
yay I am so glad!!
Giada says
I decided to try this recipe because I really missed a good tomato soup from the time I lived in the US and I’ve been following Madeline for quite some time on Instagram so I decided to give it a shot. What can I say, I totally loved it!!! Very easy to make and it’s so yummy!! Even my mom loved it and asked me to make more next time (very jealous of this first batch, all mine!). I won’t be trying any other recipes, this is it! Thank you so much from Italy!
★★★★★
Madeline says
I am SOO glad to hear this! Thank you!
Jan says
Yum!! Another MAF winner🙌🏻 Not sure why I have never tried using jarred red pepper but this is WAY easier and so very tasty. Have been looking for a Panera Bread creamy tomato soup dup and this comes pretty darn close. This is a keeper for sure! Thank you!
★★★★★
Kathryn says
Comfort in a bowl! I love all tomato soup but this one is delicious with the addition of coconut milk! Yummy!
Will double to freeze next time for sure!
★★★★★
Madeline says
amazing!! thank you so much!
MaryLou says
I highly recommend this recipe. It’s fast, easy and oh so delicious!! This will become a regular in my line-up. Thanks Madeline!
Madeline says
awesome! thank you so much!!
Amanda A. says
I make this like every other week! I’m obsessed!
★★★★★
Madeline says
wonderful!! thank you!!
Brittany says
Can you use chicken broth instead of veg?
Madeline says
Definitely! Of course it won’t be vegan anymore, but it will still be very delicious!
Rebecca says
I just made this soup and I could not even wait to finish my meal before writing this review. HOLY COW it is amazing! So simple and easy to make, yet it is packed with flavor! I was nervous it would taste like coconut, but it doesn’t AT ALL! This is definitely going to be a winter soup staple in my house!
★★★★★
Madeline says
aww thank you so much!!!
Marguerite says
Easy and delicious, and better than the TJ’s version😉 paired perfectly with a grilled cheese on the first snow day of the year!
★★★★★
Nicole says
Love it! Came together quickly, and now have lunches for my kids this week – they’re back online schooling and I’m back to work (from home). The grilled cheese croutons are genius!
Madeline says
love that this can help make life a little easier for that time!
JC says
This looks delicious. I can’t want to make it! Grilled cheese croutons are so simple, but such a good idea- especially to entice my picky eater husband.
Madeline says
i love it when a recipe is loved by a picky eater! thanks JC
Ileana says
Delicious! Would maybe reduce the salt a bit next time but we loved the flavour ❤️
★★★★★
Madeline says
thanks Ileana!
Sarah says
I have made this before (and love it). But just had to comment again to say how great it is! We got a Ninja Hot/Cold Blender for xmas and so I tried out the soup function by making this recipe and it is even better than I remember! Thank you for gifting us with such a perfect soup recipe!
Madeline says
yay thanks so much Sarah!
Suzanne says
Really delicious! Typically when I make soup I find myself throwing in lots of seasoning at the end to amp of the flavor. When I finished cooking this soup it was so flavorful that I felt nothing else was needed. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Madeline says
thanks so much Suzanne!
Ludona H Smith says
Smooth, full of flavor and quick to make. I love to simmer soups a long time but that’s just me.
I’m KETO so I used whole cream instead of coconut milk.
I must say the dairy really calms the acidity right down.
★★★★★
Madeline says
that sounds great! thanks Ludona!
Sue C says
Made this today. The recipe was super easy to follow. I made it exactly as written and came together quickly. I didn’t love the coconut milk in the soup, the flavor was a too noticeable for me. Since, I’m not vegan I will definitely make it again with your suggestions of 1/2 & 1/2 or milk. Thanks for the recipe.
★★★★★
Madeline says
Thanks, Sue!
Marissa says
My fiancé and I love this soup! It’s quickly become a staple in our household. I’m making it today to freeze for whenever we’re sick and will be making it a lot during fall and winter.
★★★★★
Madeline says
It is a great comfort dish when sick! So glad you both like it so much. Thanks for the review!