Hearty Red Pepper Soup Recipe

There's nothing better than a hot cup of soup to warm your soul. If you're a self-proclaimed "soupie" (a soup enthusiast mixed with a groupie) and find joy in trying a variety of different recipes, then let us introduce you to one of the best that you will ever have the pleasure of tasting. While chicken noodle soup and enchilada soup are good, they've been done time and time again. This red pepper soup recipe is filled with wonderful veggies like zucchini, onions, and of course, red peppers, and it's so delicious.

Recipe developer Miriam Hahn of YouCare-SelfCare is great at coming up with healthy recipes that still pack a ton of flavor, and this one is no exception. "I have been making this soup for years and often make it in my cooking classes because it universally is a favorite," Hahn raves. "Something about a blended, creamy soup that is a little more elegant than a chunky soup. I love how quick and easy it is, too. This is a great weeknight soup because of that, but it also will impress guests if you are having people over." Keep reading to find out how to make this wonderful dish.

The first step in this recipe is gathering all of the necessary items to put the soup together. For starters, you will need some oil or broth — it's totally just based on your preference. While you're at the store, pop by the produce aisle, and get some onions and garlic. You will also need vegetable broth as well as zucchini, red peppers, and sun-dried tomatoes. 

Moving on to the spice aisle, throw some coriander, cumin, salt, and smoked paprika into your shopping cart. You'll also need a little bit of coconut milk and some fresh parsley or red pepper flakes.

Before we officially get started, we'd be doing you a disservice if we didn't take a quick moment to tell you some of the many benefits of red peppers. Nobody explains it better than the expert herself. "Red pepper is so good for you! It has tons of vitamin C (more than an orange), lots of B vitamins, and of course fiber," Hahn shares. "It also contains lycopene, which is a very powerful antioxidant known to prevent the risk of prostate cancer. (Tomatoes are also high in lycopene. It is the deep red color!)" Who knew there was more vitamin C in peppers than in oranges?

To get things started, take out a large soup pot. The first thing you need to add is the oil or broth, whichever you opt to use. Put the soup pot over your burner, and crank the heat up to medium-high. Then, toss in the onion and garlic. Remember that you should have diced and chopped these ahead of time. "The chopping for this is pretty easy, since you are going to be blending," Hahn says. "You can definitely just do a rough chop on the veggies versus some soups where you are dicing. Another factor to help speed things up!"

Make sure to cook the onions until they turn translucent. It should not take more than a few moments to do this. Then, you can go ahead, and add in a few more items to the pot like broth, zucchini, red peppers, and sun-dried tomatoes. As with the other ingredients, you should have chopped these ahead of time.

Next, sprinkle in the coriander, cumin, salt, and smoked paprika. Bring the mixture to a boil, and once it starts to bubble, reduce the heat to low. Put the lid partially on, and set your timer for 20 minutes.

Once the 20-minute timer dings, grab an immersion blender, and blend the soup. It will take a little bit of time to achieve a smooth soup consistency with the immersion blender, so be patient. According to Hahn, "The soup is more of a thick, pureed soup as far as consistency goes. It has some substance to it, unlike a really thin blended soup."

Hahn also says, "Even though I often use my handheld immersion blender, it is so much quicker to just blend in a high-speed blender. The coconut milk that you add at the end makes it super creamy and thickens it up." Note that if you do use a blender, do so very carefully, and be absolutely sure to follow the proper safety precautions that come with blending hot food in a blender (such as putting a folded dishtowel over the blender's lid and making sure to hold the towel firmly in place while blending), via The Spruce Eats.

Pour the soup back into the pan, add the coconut milk, and stir. Then, move on to the next step, which is the best one in this recipe!

Once you've stirred everything together, the soup should be good to go. Just add a little bit of parsley and red pepper flakes on top, if you'd like. "I love topping this with fresh parsley, but you could also top [it] with cilantro or basil ... something green to add color and nutrients," Hahn shares.

The great part about this soup is that it's plenty filling by itself. It would be wonderful served with some crusty bread for dipping. "​​This soup goes with anything. I love to have it for lunch, but [it] also makes a great appetizer or side dish," Hahn shares. "If I am serving it as a side dish, I like to pair it with a hearty salad."

As for leftovers? You're in luck, because according to Hahn, "This soup stores well in a glass, sealed container for five days. I just reheat on the stove."