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!
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!
Linda Shanley says
Can you clarify step 6. It reads like you want us to add the liquid from the roasted red peppers and not the red peppers themselves??
Madeline says
Hi Linda! You will drain the liquid and add the roasted peppers to the pot. Sorry for any confusion.
Emily says
Can you use heavy cream instead of milk?
Madeline says
Yes, you can sub heavy cream!
Alex says
This was a simple yet delicious soup! It was straight forward to make without making a mess in the kitchen! will definitely be making this soup again soon!
Madeline says
Yes!! Definitely an easy clean up meal. Glad you liked it!